Land Use
The Case For Statewide Planning
The success of Oregon's communities in stopping sprawl and preserving farmland demonstrate that its model of statewide and regional planning is worth replicating.
Tejon Ranch: California's New 270,000 Acre Master-Planned Community
On a ranch the size of Rhode Island will live 70,000 citizens of California's new town: Centennial.
Downtown Development Rights For Sale In L.A.
Outside experts believe the City of Los Angeles is making a density mistake by selling downtown development rights.
China Passes Landmark Property Rights Law
China grants private individuals to own property. Experts say law recognizes power of growing middle class but does not add protections for farmers.
Can A 'Zipper Zone' Reconnect Intown Memphis?
A top architect is advocating the use of zoning and urban design to transform a key urban thoroughfare into a "zipper" bringing together many of the city's top assets and neighborhoods.
University Hopes To Help Fight Traffic With Mixed Use Plans
Emory University hopes wants provide affordable housing for faculty and staff and tackle the area's traffic problem by building pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use communities on land near campus -- though some area residents aren't sold on the idea.
Voters May Get Power Over Comprehensive Plans
The proposed Florida Hometown Democracy constitutional amendment calls for citizens to vote directly on whether to make changes in local comprehensive plans, instead of elected officials advised by professional and citizen planners.
New Urban Certification Process Moving Forward
The new LEED-ND program is seeking pilot projects to be certified under its new rating system, though developers of some greenfield New Urbanist communities worry the system will penalize them.
Farmers Push Expansion Of Development Boundary
People who own land within a southern Florida urban development boundary reap high prices for their developable land. But with land cut by the boundary, many farmers are pushing for its extension, and the resulting increase in land values.
UNOP Plan Works For New Orleans
Responding to recent criticism, Robert B. Olshansky and Lewis D. Hopkins, professors of urban and regional planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, argue that the United New Orleans Plan gets a lot more things right than wrong.
A Champion For Planning In North Texas
Fernando Costa, the director of planning for Fort Worth, Texas, has won praise from residents with his common sense and consensus building approach to planning in this fast growing region.
Building Context-Sensitive Infill Housing
Despite their larger sizes, recent bungalows built in three of Atlanta's most historic neighborhoods nevertheless are sensitive to the look and scale of their surroundings.
X-Rated Businesses Move Into Town With No Zoning
The prospect of X-rated businesses opening up near homes has residents of the Southern Massachusetts town of Berkley up in arms. With no zoning laws, the location of any new businesses depends on approval by a local governing board.
Proposed Legislation Helps Manage Expected Growth Around Austin
Special districts would allow cities and counties in Central Texas to impose development rules and collect sales and property taxes to pay for roads, streets and utility improvements without requiring immediate provision of city services.
Local Zoning Vs. Freedom of Religion
A federal jury sided with Alameda County, California, in a lawsuit brought by a Christian school whose permit was denied, claiming religious discrimination under the Religious Land User and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.
Following In The Footsteps Of Dubai
While some cities in the Middle East are seeking to emulate the emirate's success, its unsustainable pattern of growth make Dubai a poor model for urban development.
Philadelphia's Big Dig?
A team of planners and architects working to revive the city's riverfront recommend mimicking Boston's infamous Big Dig project to tame the I-95 freeway's impact.
Why We Don't Use Congestion Pricing
UCLA urban planning professor Michael Manville offers four explanations about why US cities don't implement congestion pricing, despite widespread agreement that it works.
The Past And Future Of Informal Settlements
While urban growth is heavily regulated in industrialized countries, most of the world develops without a legal planning framework.
Neighbors Battle Over Pocket Parks In Seattle
Homeowners in Seattle are trying to retain use of public land along the city's shorelines, but park advocates want the land for exclusive public use.
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
