Land Use

St. Paul Minnesota

Missing Middle Housing Reforms Move Forward in St. Paul

The St. Paul City Council will soon consider a legislative package designed to increase the density of residential neighborhoods, following in the footsteps of its twin city, Minneapolis.

August 22, 2023 - Star Tribune

Alaska

Proposed Zoning Consolidation Scaled Back in Anchorage

A revised, scaled-back version of a zoning reform effort in Anchorage would concentrate the proposed consolidation of residential zoning districts in one part of the city.

August 21, 2023 - Anchorage Daily News

An aerial view of downtown Iowa City.

Iowa City Hopes Zoning Amendments Will Increase Housing Supply, Diversity

Iowa City is planning ahead to ensure that housing supply keeps up with housing demand.

August 21, 2023 - The Gazette

Aerial view of Le Corbusier-designed Cité Radieuse in Marseilles, France.

What Is the City of Tomorrow?

The City of Tomorrow is the English name given to an early work of urban design by Le Corbusier, who, throughout his career, evolved a concept of city planning firmly based in rationality and order.

August 21, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Massachusetts State Capitol

Massachusetts Pushing Statewide Zoning Reforms With Steeper Penalties for Non-Compliance

Massachusetts is one of the states in the nation requiring local governments to make more space for multi-family housing. Not all local governments are willing to comply, however.

August 21, 2023 - Mass Live

Corner convenience store with red awning and children's rocking horse toy out front in brick building in Queens, New York City

Bring Back the Corner Store

‘Accessory commercial units’ were once common across U.S. towns and cities. Now, zoning regulations make them illegal in many places.

August 20, 2023 - Strong Towns

One of the "Guardians of Traffic" in Cleveland, a scuplture of a large figure adorning a bridge in Cleveland. Downtown Cleveland is in the background.

Parking Requirements Removed Near Cleveland Transit Stops

Transit oriented parking reform has arrived in Cleveland.

August 20, 2023 - Signal Cleveland

Aerial view of farmland patchwork in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Auditor: Toronto Greenbelt Changes Favored Developers

A series of hasty removals of land from the protected Greenbelt last year were pushed through without environmental or financial analysis.

August 18, 2023 - The Globe and Mail

Aerial view of downtown Atlanta, Georgia

Quantifying the Losses Caused by New Freeways

Data shows cities lose millions in potential property taxes when highways displace homes and businesses.

August 17, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

Aerial view of the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

Meet the New River Seine

The Paris Olympics will highlight the renaissance of the city’s famous river.

August 17, 2023 - World Crunch

View of blurred motion traffic on downtown Salt Lake City street

One-Third of Downtown Salt Lake City Devoted to Parking

A new map highlights prime downtown real estate that could be repurposed for more productive uses.

August 16, 2023 - Building Salt Lake

Red brick historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, Liberty State Park, New Jersey with glass high-rise building in background.

How Transit Villages Are Reshaping New Jersey’s Urban Landscape

Will the Garden State become Manhattan 2.0 in the next 50 years? Probably not. Will it look different from today? Probably yes.

August 16, 2023 - Marcelo Remond

A sign announces the Kingston, New York Historic District

Kingston, New York Goes 100 Percent Form-Based for its New Code

Kingston recently adopted a form-based code, taking the rare step to entirely replace its old zoning code with form-based standards while also repealing parking requirements and allowing accessory dwelling units and missing middle housing.

August 16, 2023 - Times Union

California state capitol building dome with U.S., California, and POW/MIA flags on flagpole

California Adopts CEQA Reforms for Infrastructure, Leaves Out Residential

The state of California adopted reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pertaining to climate-friendly infrastructure projects, but residential development interests hoping for relief from CEQA will have to wait.

August 15, 2023 - James Brasuell

View from back of mother and hcild holding hands and walking down asphalt walkway painted with game grid.

Do Americans Really Prefer Sprawl?

Not if they live in a large metro area.

August 14, 2023 - Michael Lewyn

An aerial view of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, with rolling hills and autumn foliage in the background.

Missing Middle Housing Reforms Coming to East Tennessee

With the cost of housing around Knoxville, Tennessee rising, elected officials and political candidates are looking for new ways to allow residential density.

August 13, 2023 - Knox News

Google street view of late Victorian home in Harvard Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, with one-story commercial building next door.

How One L.A. Developer Uses the Law to Build Apartments

California’s density bonus law lets developers skirt some zoning regulations to build multifamily housing.

August 11, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Diagram of proposed at-grade alternartive B for Interstate 94 project

More Options Presented for Minneapolis I-94 Project

Two new proposals for replacing the freeway with at-grade segments offer new visions for the future of downtown Minneapolis.

August 11, 2023 - Streetsblog USA

Glass office building with multicolored Google logo on Google headquarters campus in Mountain View, California

Google Shifts Real Estate Strategy to Adaptive Reuse

The company is moving away from flashy new campuses in favor of converting existing buildings with interesting histories.

August 11, 2023 - Fast Company

Apartment buildings in San Diego, California

San Diego Planning Commission Rejects Voluntary State Density Law

The density-enabling mechanisms of the California law Senate Bill 10 are too much for San Diego’s citizen planners.

August 10, 2023 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

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.