Land Use

There is Nothing Illiberal About Walkability
Despite recent claims to the contrary, the concept of the 15-minute city promotes freedom of mobility and universal access to a city’s resources and amenities.

Thousands of Seattle Housing Units Blocked by Lawsuits
Legal challenges filed by condo associations are holding up multiple high-rise housing developments that could bring much-needed housing and jobs to downtown Seattle.

Austin City Council Calls for Changes to Interstate Widening Plan
Legally powerless to stop TxDOT’s plans for freeway expansion, Austin city leaders hope to influence the agency to take some mitigation measures as it widens I-35.

Montana Could Overhaul Land Use Laws
State legislators want to make comprehensive changes to land use and zoning laws to alleviate a growing housing shortage in the state’s urban areas.

Orange County Developers Eye Dying Malls for Housing, Mixed-Use
As indoor malls lose their luster, their properties offer convenient amenities and infrastructure perfectly suited for redevelopment into housing, parks, and retail.

Huntington Beach Mounts Legal Challenge to State-Mandated Density
The Orange County beachfront community has had enough of the California State Legislature’s preemption of local zoning laws.
Resilience Matters: Collective Action For Healthier Communities
The Island Press Urban Resilience Project (URP) has published a new, free "Resilience Matters" e-book that contains fascinating articles, op-eds, and interviews that provide practical guidance for collective action to build a fairer, greener future.

How Single-Family Zoning Became Unaffordable for Families
Zoning regulations designed to boost the housing supply for families have contributed to a housing crisis that makes housing costs a major burden for many American families.

Milwaukee Sets Sights on a Million Residents
Zoning reform will be key to the Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s vision to almost double the city’s population.

Land Use Reform Picks Up Momentum in Connecticut Again
Multiple statewide land use reform proposals are up for debate in the Nutmeg State. Which, if any, will become law?

Dan Gilbert’s Foray Into Cleveland Could Transform the City’s Waterfront
The public has been getting a close look at a proposed mega-project at Tower City Center in Cleveland that could eventually yield 3.5 million square feet of construction.

Livable Streets, Revisited
The updated version of Donald Appleyard’s 1982 book Livable Streets, written by Appleyard's son, dives even deeper into the ‘ecology of the street,’ proposing actionable solutions for the conflicts and problems facing urban environments today.

How Much Will That Infrastructure Really Cost?
A new tool developed in British Columbia calculates the cost of infrastructure over the entire life cycle of the project.

Pittsburgh Moves Ahead With Zoning Changes for University-Adjacent Neighborhood
The implementation of a new master plan for the neighborhood of Oakland, home to the University of Pittsburgh, is moving forward despite controversy and a contentious community engagement process.

San Diego Expands Transit Oriented Zoning From a Half-Mile to a Mile
A recent package of code changes by the city of San Diego will make it possible to build high-rise residential buildings and accessory dwelling units in larger areas around public transit.

Op-Ed: Boston Needs Zoning Reform Now
The Boston Globe’s editorial board calls on the city to take on citywide zoning reform to boost housing construction and revitalize areas that have faced historical underinvestment.

Jane Jacobs and Zoning
Does the work of Jane Jacobs support restrictive zoning?

Shaping a 15-Minute City Vision for Detroit and Cleveland Using Data-Assisted Modeling
How master plans in the two cities hope to transform their historic, and historically underutilized, waterfronts.

‘We Will Chicago’ Plan Adopted in the Windy City
Chicago has its first “comprehensive plan” since the 1960s, but without a land use map, the “We Will Chicago” plan is devoted more to laying out the issues and challenges facing the city than setting new policies.

New York Hires ‘Public Space Czar’
The public space officer will be in charge of making the city’s sidewalks more pedestrian-friendly while keeping streets clean and accessible.
Pagination
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