Land Use
Planners And Developers Have Grand Visions For Empty Land in L.A.
Planning has begun for a 400-acre plot of land near downtown Los Angeles, and expectations are high.
Walkability Report Raises Questions and Doubts
California Planning and Development Report's Paul Shigley reviews the recent report on walkability released by the Brookings Institution and finds some of its claims dubious.
Cars Take Back Seat in Planned Transit-Friendly Street
In Toronto, planners have unveiled a street design that separates a planned streetcar line from auto traffic, bike lanes, and parking. Many are calling it a first for the city -- making the street decidedly transit- and pedestrian-friendly.
Walls Create Safety, Segregation In Baghdad
More and more walls are rising in Baghdad neighborhoods, giving areas a calmer, safer feel. But the walls also create a prison-like atmosphere and many residents are conflicted about the tradeoff.
Development And Logging To Blame In Flood
Devastating floods in the southern Washington community of Chehalis have many tracing the roots of the problem back to clear-cut logging and a long pattern of unchecked floodplain development.
National Heritage Areas In Center of Property Rights Debate
With more and more land receiving federal protection as National Heritage Areas, property rights activists are butting heads with the preservationists they say are taking rights away from landowners.
Report Says Growth Management Plans Make Housing Unaffordable
In this new report from the Cato Institute, Randal O'Toole writes that regional growth management plans make housing unaffordable and that states with these laws should repeal them.
Munich: A Marvel Of Smart Growth and Urban Planning
Urban planners and developers in the Western United States could learn a lot from Munich, Germany, argues one online commentator.
Developing Affordable Housing In The Suburbs
With more low-income households settling outside of urban centers, planners are faced with the challenge of getting affordable housing built in traditionally upscale suburban communities where zoning has all but forbid low-cost homes.
Rising Death Toll Inspires Pedestrian Safety Initiative
After a string of pedestrian fatalities, Montgomery County, Maryland, is pushing a broad plan to improve pedestrian safety.
The Latest Home-Based Business: Wineries
Planners in Tacoma, Washington have approved a new ordinance that allows small-scale microwineries to be legally operated out of the home.
China Moves To Protect Farmland With Higher Taxes
To stem the loss of farmland to development, the Chinese government is raising taxes on non-farmed arable land by 500%.
Reorienting Suburbs Toward An Interdependent Future
Created as a celebration of American individualism and consumerism, suburbs will need to reinvent themselves to successfully lead an interdependent world, according to this article from Newsday.
Japanese Urban Centers Fading In Rural Prefectures
Smaller cities in rural areas of Japan are being gutted out, as big box centers continue to sprout up outside cities.
Planners Object, But Courts Approve Housing Development
When developers made plans for a housing development on land an Israeli kibbutz had to sell off, planners said the required rezoning was out of the question. But five years later and still without planners' approval, the courts have allowed project.
Holding The Line On Miami-Dade's Urban Development Boundary
Citing strained resources, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez has vetoed a number of development projects located outside of the County's ever-tenuous urban development boundary.
The Two Faces of California's Upcoming Election Year
In California, the 2008 election year may result in victories for two contrasting interest: those who want to limit eminent domain powers and those seeking increased regulation of land use, writes William Fulton.
Commercial Developers Finding Value In Mixed Use
A tax-increment financed mixed-use mall redevelopment is showing signs of success in suburban Salt Lake City, Utah, raising nearby property values and indicating a trend amongst commercial developers who are finding profit by mixing uses.
Turning Abandoned Railways To Greenspace In Indiana
The state of Indiana has announced plans to purchase more than 150 miles of abandoned railways, much of which is slated to become greenspace.
Eminent Domain In The Spotlight
With the recent multi-million dollar settlement over a Connecticut town's abuse of eminent domain, the land acquisition practice is facing increasing scrutiny nationwide.
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
