Urban Development
San Diego Removes Some Commercial Parking Requirements
After approving parking reforms for swaths of residential areas in the city in 2019, the city of San Diego is expanding the effort to select commercial areas in the city.
Opinion: To Meet Climate Goals, Bay Area Needs More Transit-Oriented Development
The region's transit-oriented development (TOD) plan requires a significant update to achieve the density and housing goals laid out in the MTC's 30-year vision.
Which Cities Are Upzoning?
A recent study surveyed 800 jurisdictions in 50 U.S. metropolitan areas to quantify the amount of change in zoning regulations throughout the 21st century so far.
Arlington County Allows New Ground Level Uses
Arlington County is allowing land use flexibility on ground floors in the hopes of transforming the Columbia Park as more of a pedestrian-oriented "Main Street."
Toronto Adopts Inclusionary Zoning to Spur Affordable Housing Development
Inclusionary zoning, a policy tool designed to ensure new developments include a required number of affordable housing units, will soon be the land of the land in Toronto, Ontario. Not everyone is a fan of the new policy.
Businesses Oppose Conversion of Parking Structure Into Affordable Housing
Business owners in downtown Santa Monica have filed a lawsuit opposing the city's planned replacement of a parking structure with housing, despite city studies showing that the city's downtown parking supply far exceeds demand.
Freeway Expansions Continue to Threaten Black and Brown Communities
Despite calls to center equity in infrastructure projects, highway construction and expansion still disproportionately impacts communities of color, according to a Los Angeles Times investigation.
New Las Vegas Golf Courses Barred From Using Colorado River Water
A new rule from the Las Vegas Valley Water District prohibits new golf courses in the city from using Colorado River water for irrigation.
Deep History, Ancient Wisdom, and Modern Planning
David Graeber and David Wengrow’s new book, "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity," offers an important counter-narrative to the usual history of cities that’s rich with implications for urban scholars, policy-makers, and planners.
Proposed Toronto Highways Raise Environmental Concerns
Opponents of two new planned highways in greater Toronto argue the construction of new roads is 'short-sighted at best' and would threaten the region's greenbelt areas.
Gowanus Rezoning Moving Forward: Could Bring 8,000 New Apartments to Brooklyn
A controversial zoning—one of the last of a de Blasio administration that has rezoned parts of every borough in the city—last week cleared a key City Council committee.
Brooklyn's First Supertall Skyscraper Almost Done
The tallest building in Brooklyn is nearing completion. The Brooklyn Tower will reach 1,066 feet tall.
Local Group Ordered to Pay $500K Bond for Delaying Affordable Housing Project
What starts as a familiar story about a local group wielding the California Environmental Quality Act to delay an affordable housing project includes a surprise twist: another state law requires the group to cover some of the cost of the delay.
An Expanded Approach to the Analysis of Cities
Even with so much data in the world, cities are a slippery subject. What if an everyday part of life in cities—the "scenes" comprised by businesses, people, and practices of similarly distinct aesthetics—can help our understanding?
Tallest Skyscraper in 30 Years Proposed in Midtown Atlanta
If approved, a 61-story tower would be the tallest built in Atlanta in three decades.
Fire Experts Weigh In On Management Practices
To fight increasingly devastating wildfires, government officials and landowners must develop new strategies that proactively address the biggest risk factors.
Downtown Neighborhoods Lead In New Apartment Construction
Neighborhoods in urban cores are seeing the highest rates of new apartment construction in the last five years, signaling a continued interest in downtown living despite fears of an 'urban exodus' brought on by the pandemic.
Sun and Parks
Some people fear tall buildings near parks, asserting that such buildings will reduce sunlight. But because many parks are a block or more wide, this impact is likely to be minimal.
Study: Low-Rise Density Is Better for the Climate
New research analyzing carbon emissions throughout the life cycle of buildings shows that high-rises create more carbon emissions than dense, low-rise developments.
Planning Commission Calls for More Density at Berkeley BART Stations
Berkeley planning commissioners recommend taller buildings, more density as the city evaluates zoning changes near BART stations.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
