Land Use

San Antonio, Texas, Riverwalk, Evening

San Antonio Officials Remove Invasive Snails During River Walk Draining

As part of the biannual cleaning of the city's prized River Walk, San Antonio officials removed hundreds of invasive snails from the channel.

February 3, 2022 - My San Antonio

A close up of a map showing the location of Lincoln, Kansas, at the intersection of highways 14 and 18.

The Great Plains Real Estate Boom

Cities on the Great Plains were giving away land in recent decades in the hopes of attracting new residents. Now they have a different challenge: responding to a sudden, but still modest, spike in demand.

February 3, 2022 - The Hustle

An aerial image of the city of Brookings, Oregon, a small town located on the Pacific Coast.

Lawsuit Challenges Zoning to Limit Church Soup Kitchens

Local residents of Brookings, Oregon say a local church's meal services during the pandemic were attracting crime and vagrancy, so the city passed a zoning ordinance that limited the number of days the church could serve meals to two a week.

February 2, 2022 - Reason

Boise Idaho

Boise Poised To Revise Zoning Code

The city of Boise is soliciting public input on its plan to revise its zoning code to permit a wider variety of housing options.

February 2, 2022 - City of Boise

Atlanta Park

Tim Keane, Atlanta Planning Commissioner, Headed to a New City

Tim Keane, who has led the Atlanta Department of City Planning since 2015, is set to take a new job in a new city.

February 1, 2022 - Axios Atlanta

View of lake at Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park

Magic Johnson Park to Reopen in February

A much-needed park in South Los Angeles will reopen to the public after undergoing major renovations.

February 1, 2022 - MIG

Aerial view of Clark Street

Chicago Seeks Public Input on Clark Street Improvements

The city is creating a strategy for improvements in the Clark Street corridor to improve the area's walkability and stimulate the local economy.

February 1, 2022 - City of Chicago

Portland Maine

Maine Legislators, in Search of a Fix for Rising Housing Costs, Consider Zoning Reforms

The housing affordability crisis is a legislative priority in the Pine Tree State.

January 31, 2022 - WMTW

A sunny day in San Francisco, with a view of the city skyline with the Easy Bay Hills in the background.

Development Streamlining Proposal Dies in San Francisco

The doomed effort was Mayor London Breed's third attempt to streamline development in the city.

January 31, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Wildfire

$50 Billion 'Wildfire Risk Strategy' Targets the Wildland-Urban Interface

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in January announced an ambitious, and only partially funded, new plan to reduce wildfire risks for communities around the United States.

January 31, 2022 - U.S. Department of Agriculture

Sign for Chepa's Park, Barrio Logan, Santa Ana, CA

A Toxic Legacy in an Orange County Neighborhood

The contaminated soil and neglected infrastructure in Santa Ana's Barrio Logan community are a result of decades of land use decisions and willful disinvestment, one journalist writes.

January 31, 2022 - High Country News

World Planning Schools Congress title on photo of Balinese temple

World Planning Educators To Meet in Indonesia

The fifth World Planning Schools Congress this coming August, organized on the theme Planning a Global Village: Inclusion, Innovation, and Disruption, will step up cross-border movement of planning ideas and practices.

January 31, 2022 - World Planning Schools Congress V Call for Submissions

Lower State Street in Santa Barbara (between Ortega St and Cota St).

Santa Barbara May Scale Down Outdoor Dining Areas

The city will consider adjustments to its outdoor dining policy after the fire department expressed concerns about access for emergency vehicles.

January 31, 2022 - KEYT

An aerial image of Bend, Oregon, covered in snow in the winter. The Deschutes River cuts through the middle of town, below an old mill.

Upzoning Leads to Sharp Growth in Construction in Bend

After Oregon legalized 'missing middle housing' in cities statewide, Bend, the first city to comply with the state law, has experienced a significant boost in mid-density housing construction.

January 30, 2022 - KTVZ

An image of stadium seats at Petco Park in San Diego, with new buildings under construction nearby in the background.

What Is a Development Approval Process?

A development approval process decides whether or not to allow a proposed development project to proceed with construction. There is plenty of room for interpretation, both legal and political, about what a development approval process can or should entail.

January 27, 2022 - James Brasuell

I-84 to I-5 Interstate Freeway in Portland Oregon with Long Exposure Vehicle Traffic Motion

Oregon Youth Activists Protest Highway Expansion

A group of young climate activists are demanding an end to traffic-inducing road expansion projects and a renewed commitment to sustainable, transit-oriented transportation.

January 27, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Solar Power

Solar Farm Moratorium to End, Despite Local Concerns

Delaware County plans to amend its solar zoning ordinance and lift a moratorium on the construction of new solar farms that was implemented after local opposition stalled the project.

January 27, 2022 - The Star Press

Downtown Philadelphia

The Path to Hyperdensity

The federal government has an opportunity to make a generational investment in the country's infrastructure that could fundamentally shift the way we live and move around cities.

January 26, 2022 - Governing

Boston Skyline with Dome

Massachusetts Gets Serious About Upzoning

A Massachusetts law aimed at reducing the state's housing shortage mandates zoning for multi-family housing in most eastern Massachusetts jurisdictions.

January 26, 2022 - Slate

Texas Townhomes

Blanket Upzoning: A Solution to Housing Pressures?

Mass upzoning could give developers and homeowners the flexibility to build new housing where it's most needed.

January 25, 2022 - Strong Towns

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.