Land Use
Property Taxes Skyrocket Along Atlanta's Proposed Beltline Corridor
Property taxes along Atlanta's proposed Beltline -- a 22-mile loop of park and trails ringing downtown -- are rising sharply, threatening to displace the poor that live in adjacent areas.
When A McMansion Isn't Large Enough
With Americans living in ever larger homes, the growth of the self storage industry demonstrates the irony of an American solution to an American problem -- overabundance.
World Ag At Risk From Global Warming
World agricultural productivity could decline between 3-16% by 2080. Developing countries will experience the biggest drop.
Plan To Sell Conservation Land Irks Public
A proposal to sell off 9,000 acres of Texas land set aside in a conservation fund has many worried about a loss of public land. But proponents say a private owner would expand, not limit, public access to the land.
Three Times More Parking Than Drivers
Recent research finds that parking spaces outnumber drivers 3-to-1 in Tippecanoe County, Indiana.
Cox Says Smart Growth Limits Homeownership
Wendell Cox argues that smart growth development plans are bad policy for African Americans because they elevate home prices out of reach.
Homeless Shelter Plan Drives Away Local Businesses
In downtown Boise, recently announced plans to construct a homeless shelter have many local business owners upset and making arrangements to move out of the area. The city, however, is defending its decision to approve the shelter.
U.S. Coastal Cities Face Catastrophic Risk
The U.S. coastline, home to 53% of the nation's population, is at catastrophic risk from just a 1-meter rise in sea level concludes a major new study.
Building Connections
One citizen planner's journey across the United States provides a glimpse at how stronger connections between people and places can create better communities.
Alaskan Community Considers Property Value Compensation Measure
A measure on the Alaskan ballot this October could require a local government to compensate landowners if new land use regulations hurt property values -- a measure similar to Oregon's controversial Measure 37 that is meeting similar resistance.
Controversial Legislation Tackles Land Use, Transportation, Regional Planning, & Global Warming
In what is arguably the most important environmental bill in California since last year's Global Warming Solutions Act, SB 375 attempts to reduce global warming by addressing land use and transportation through better regional planning.
Forest? Fuhgettaboutit
Sicily's forests are being ravaged by fires many suspect are being set by the Mafia, who plan on reaping financial benefits when the land is rezoned for construction.
Kansas City To Limit Billboards
The Kansas City Council has passed an ordinance that will tightly restrict outdoor billboard advertising within the city. The ordinance effectively bans new billboards from all city streets.
Resort Project Cut Down To Size, But Objections Remain
Developers of an oceanside resort and housing complex in Hawaii have significantly reduced their project's scope in an effort to win over wary neighbors and public officials. But the project is slated for a plot where "resorts" are prohibited.
Delays Plague Controversial Atlantic Yards Project
Protests, lawsuits, and accidents have caused big delays in the construction of the controversial Atlantic Yards mixed use project in Brooklyn, New York. But the developers say the project will be completed on time.
Landowner To Fight Big-Box Moratorium
A landowner in suburban Atlanta who had planned to sell his property to Wal-Mart is now suing the city of Duluth over a big-box moratorium that he claims is not in the best interest of the city.
Closely Connected Northwest Cities Need To Plan Together
This editorial calls on the governments of Portland, Oregon, and its intimately-connected neighbor, Vancouver, Washington, to expand the reach of the metropolitan planning agency whose jurisdiction ends at the border between the two cities.
Unwanted McMansions Become Unwanted McBoarding Houses
Suburban Washington D.C. residents are upset over a rash of new buildings in their neighborhoods that they say don't fit in with the character of their communities. It's not just that the houses are too big, but that they are housing too many people.
The Roller Coaster Next Door
A roller coaster has opened up right next door to a family's summer home in the Houston suburb of Kemah -- a town with no zoning ordinance.
Smart Growth Incentive Enables Zoning Changes
A Massachusetts smart growth incentive has enabled a Boston suburb to change its zoning laws to allow developers to build mixed-use developments without applying for special permits. Now other towns want in, but there might not be enough funding.
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
