Land Use
Boom in Utah Town
Growth is at a standstill in most western boomtowns, but not in well-planned, thriving South Jordan, UT. An expedited permitting process and good planning are given credit as catalysts for growth.
Car-Free Sundays Coming to L.A.?
A group of cyclists in Los Angeles is hoping to move forward in talks with the city to establish car-free days, based on the ciclovia street closures originated in Colombia.
Maryland's Smart Growth Law A Dud According To University Study
Maryland's 1997 landmark smart growth, hailed as one of the most innovative policies in the nation, has turned out to have failed in what it hoped to accomplish - preserve open space and cluster urban growth, according to a just-released report.
A Greener Shade of Golf?
Golf courses use dangerous pesticides and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to maintain their manicured look. Many people would like to change that. But some golf courses says you can have your cake and tee off, too.
Seattle Approves Backyard Cottages
The Seattle City Council has unanimously approved an ordinance that will allow owners of single family homes to construct additional cottage-like housing units on their property.
Study Finds Health Insurance Cheaper in Suburbs
A recent study of health insurance costs finds that people who live in suburban areas outside of Chicago pay less for health insurance than those who live in the urban core.
Dedicated Non-Motorist Lane on Vancouver Bridge Finds Public Support
Residents in Vancouver are reportedly in favor of keeping a dedicated lane for pedestrians and cyclists on a local bridge. Even some motorists are in support.
Chicago's Answer to NYC's High Line Will Generate Power & Food
A proposed plan from Gensler and 4240 Architecture would turn an abandoned rail line in Chicago into an energy-generating, food-growing powerhouse. Oh, and a park too.
Transportation Planning In Federal Climate Legislation
In this short radio broadcast, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer welcomes the support of influential land use planner Mike McKeever of Sacramento, who testifies in support of the bill that incorporates smart growth strategies first employed by his MPO.
Will California Have To Exempt All Stadiums From Environmental Review?
Now that Ed Roski's new stadium in the City of Industry is exempt from CEQA, Bill Fulton wonders whether California can deny the same competitive advantage to others.
Suburbs Sprouting Corn and Lettuce
Platte River Village, now building in Denver, is a new concept in fusing agriculture and suburbia.
Thirsting in America's Fruit Basket
To protect the endangered Delta Smelt fish, pumping of water from California's Sacramento Delta has been drastically cut back. Add in the state's three-year-long drought, and the result is a major problem for the state's people and farmers.
Penalosa Decries Nairobi's Vision of the Future
Nairobi planners are promoting a new vision of the African nation criss-crossed with superhighways. Enrique Penalosa visited Nairobi last week to try to persuade them to reverse course.
The Barcelona Model of Reviving Industrial Areas
American cities are struggling to figure out how to transition formerly industrial areas to become vibrant and successful parts of the city once again. Neal Peirce says they should look to Barcelona, which accomplished it ten years ago.
What To Do With Unused Phone Booths
This project offers a new idea about how to make use of dead phone booths.
Las Vegas: A Model of America's Problems
The problems facing urban America can be exemplified by looking at the city of Las Vegas, according to this piece from the Brookings Institution's Mark Muro.
Splicing Planning Students into Community Boards
Planning students from New York-area universities are being integrated into the city's community boards through an innovative new fellowship program.
Form-Based Code Approved in Miami
Commissioners in Miami have voted to replace the city's use-based zoning code with a form-based code, dubbed Miami 21, which had been in the works for years.
The Real Inconvenient Truth: Global Land Use
Global warming is a problem, says climate scientist Jonathan Foley, but it's not the only one. The other major problem facing the global environment is a pattern of land use for agriculture that is grossly unsustainable.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
