Zoning
Pittsburgh Puts Urban Agriculture On The Books
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is promoting a number of green initiatives for the city, including new guidelines for the raising of chickens and honeybees in urban areas. The City Council approved the guidelines last week.
Re-Zoning for a Future Population Averse to Single-Family Homes
As demographics shift and housing preferences of younger buyers lean away from single-family housing, much of the single-family-home-zoned areas in Charlotte will need to be rethought, according to this editorial.
An Understandable Zoning Guide
New York City has released a new handbook of its zoning regulations in an illustrated, easily-comprehensible guide.
Height Restrictions Mean High Prices in DC
Responding to a report by the Washington Post that office rents have now topped those in Manhattan, Matt Yglesias says the district's austere zoning is to blame.
The Unbounded Home
When you buy a house, you might think that you are in control of that house and its value. But in reality, your house’s value depends on a wide variety of factors beyond your control, such as the perceived desirability of your neighbors, local highway and transit policies, and trends in national and regional housing markets. Your home may be your castle in a physical sense- but its value is heavily affected by what goes on outside the residential setting. In her new book The Unbounded Home, University of Chicago law professor Lee Fennell addresses the implications of this reality and of homeowners’ attempts to reassert control over property values through restrictive covenants and zoning.
Libertarians and Urbanism
Urbanists have rightfully been wary of libertarianism in the past, says Stephen Smith, but a new crop of Jane Jacobs-loving libertarians could change that perception.
A Comparative Analysis of Land Use Controls
Various rules and regulations control the form of today's cities. This info graphic and article from re:place looks at how those systems control the urban environment and how they compare.
Using YouTube to Make Zoning Understandable
The City of Oakland, California has produced a series of videos to help explain what zoning is and what the city's zoning update will do. The city's zoning code hasn't been comprehensively updated since 1965.
Stepping Warily into the World of Form-Based Codes
Citywide form-based codes are gaining in popularity, with Miami's recently implemented code and a new code in Denver. But some architects worry about if and how these new codes will impact their work and the look of their cities.
NYC Asking Public to Comment on Planning Process
New York City is updating their Uniform Land Use Review Process. Tom Agnotti says there is a lot that is broken and needs fixing.
Placemaking for Pot Smoking
Potential legalization of marijuana presents California cities the chance to do a different type of 'greening.' Josh Stephens reports on the land use challenges of regulating California's most lucrative crop.
Denver's Form-Based Code Closer to Approval
Five years in the works, Denver's new zoning code has been introduced. The form-based code now faces a period of public input before its expected approval.
Zoning and Fashion? Amanda Burden in Vanity Fair
Focusing on her Armani outfit, her upscale background, and the beet salad she was ordering, Vanity Fair finally gets down to brass tacks with New York's Planning Director Amanda Burden.
Buffalo to Get Form-Based Code
The Buffalo News praises efforts by Mayor Byron W. Brown to completely rewrite the city's 59-year-old zoning code. The Mayor's initiative, dubbed the Buffalo Green Code, would place a new emphasis on sustainability and walkable neighborhoods.
Buffalo to Implement Citywide Green Code
Mayor Byron Brown announced that the city's new code will be the "Buffalo Green Code," supporting walkable, sustainable neighborhoods.
Yes, Zoning Still Encourages Sprawl
A few weeks ago, Randall O’Toole (a leading anti-anti-sprawl commentator) and Matthew Yglesias (a Washington-based pundit who primarily writes about politics, but occasionally veers off into planning issues) had an interesting discussion about the extent to which sprawl is a result of land use regulation.(1)
Town's Plan to Cap Residential Growth Violates State Law
A judge has overruled a voter-approved plan in the California city of Pleasanton to cap the number of new residences allowed in the city in an effort to curb the area's growing congestion.
WalMart Purchase Thwarted, Family Sues City of Rezoning - And Wins
WalMart made an offer to purchase a plot from a family in Frankenmuth, Michigan, but withdrew the offer when the City Council rezoned the land for a limited building size. The family sued, and a federal judge awarded them $3.6 million.
Conventional Planning May Be Contributing to Cleveland's Decline
Reason.tv has launched a multipart series of videos on how the city of Cleveland can turn itself around using free-market approaches and limited government reforms.
Turning Illegal Basements into Affordable Housing
Most of the new housing units being occupied in New York City are illegal basement spaces. Bringing those spaces up to code could create thousands of units of affordable housing in the city.
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
