Zoning
Hard to Change Houston's Rep as Nation's Worst Recycler
As the worst recycler amongst the 30 largest American cities, Houston has a lot of trash on its hands. But many obstacles stand in the way of the city closing the loop.
New Crematory Evades City Planners
City officials in Snellville, near Atlanta, claim they cannot stop the pending arrival of a new crematorium along a busy street and near homes.
Should Public Meetings Offer Translation?
Rezoning in New York's Lower East Side brings the issue of language to the fore, as members of the Spanish and Chinese communities find themselves unable to participate in important decisions about their neighborhoods.
Learning from exam schools
Yesterday’s Washington Post contained a list of elite public schools- schools where the average student SAT is over 1300. Since suburban schools generally have better reputations than urban schools, one might expect that all the schools on the list would be in prestigious suburban school districts. But in fact, this is not the case. Three New York City schools (Stuyvestant, Hunter College, Bronx High) and one school near downtown Richmond (Maggie Walker) are on the high-SAT list- despite the fact that the New York City and Richmond school districts, like nearly all urban school districts, have mediocre reputations.
Zoning Squashes Wedding Plans
Heather Stewart's vision of a country wedding in a resorted country barn are thwarted by code enforcement officers at the last minute. 'We have zoning rules and building codes that always get in the way of dreams,' Reinsborough said.
Disobedient Architect to Be Banned from Brooklyn
Brooklyn architect Robert M. Scarano Jr. has crossed Brooklyn's zoning laws too many times, and the city is making the case to ban him from submitting any plans. In the worst case, he put two apartment buildings in a location greenlighted for one.
'EcoDensity' Comes Through in Vancouver
A major rezoning plan has been approved in Vancouver, including the toughest environmental standards in North America.
Did Houston's Lack Of Zoning Shield It From The Housing Meltdown?
A recent report by a Federal Reserve Bank senior economist argues that Houston's resiliency during the ongoing housing crisis is due in part to its lack of zoning regulations.
Cities Should Be Like Pizza
Keeping land uses separate is like keeping the ingredients of pizza separate, according to Congress for New Urbanism President John Norquist. The result is an urban pie that doesn't taste as good as it could.
Neighborhood Zoning Offices Give Residents Help And Answers
Following the lead of law enforcement, San Diego's code enforcement department is opening storefront offices where residents can come in with questions and complaints.
It's Not 'Zoning', But It's Zoning
This commentary argues that, though it may not be called "zoning", Houston has plenty of land use restrictions and guidelines.
More Fast Food Makes Fatter Neighborhoods
High rates of obesity and diabetes are being correlated to high concentrations of fast food restaurants in neighborhoods. Some look to zoning as a solution.
Areas of Stability and Change
Two new classifications of land in Denver -- areas of change and areas of stability -- are moving the city's redevelopment and densification plans forward.
Do Houston Residents Want Zoning?
With planning likely to become a major issue in next year's mayoral campaign, a recent survey shows that most residents would support new rules -- including possibly land use zoning -- to manage the region's sprawling development.
Residents Sue Over State Density Bonus Law
Upset about the effect of California State Bill 1818's override of local zoning restrictions, a Los Angeles resident has sued the city to overturn its density bonus ordinance. Others may soon follow.
Looking at Houston from Vancouver
A Canadian's perspective on the "planner-free" city of Houston, America's fourth most populous city.
Saving The Neighborhood, One Signature At A Time
A arcane provision in the New York City Charter that increases the threshold for a zoning change approval to a three-fourths vote of the city council may help opponents defeat a proposed rezoning of 125th Street in Harlem.
Philly's Planning Process Revamp Moving Ahead Slowly
With a growing consensus for change, the challenge for the Philadelphia's leaders now is figuring out how to actually fix the city's planning and zoning system.
Los Angeles' Brawl With Sprawl
Officials in Los Angeles were successful in implementing high-density growth policies to curb sprawl. However, a disconnect between culture, transportation policy, and the real estate market may have disastrous consequences.
Street Trees Are New York's Newest Accessory
A new zoning requirement passed by the New York City Planning Commission will require all new developments to plant trees along the street.
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
