While cities may be shut down, city planners have not turned off the lights. Planning departments around California, which is mostly on lockdown, have resorted to working from home. Long-range planning could even benefit.
"With the governor’s orders, planning 'counters,' where minor and small-scale applications are processed, have physically closed. Most departments are not holding any in-person meetings with customers. But the relatively recent advent of electronic processing may mean that some customers will not even notice the shutdown. They just have to upload the proper documents on departments’ web-based portals—no human contact needed."
"While applications are sure to fall, at least in the short term, while applications for everything from high rises to accessory dwelling units are slowed by the shutdown, department officials say that many planners have at least a few weeks' worth to keep them busy in the near term. If applications do not pick up, departments may shift their attention to the long-term — and to projects that have been lingering but not getting the attention they may have deserved."
FULL STORY: Virus Crisis Forces Planning to Go Virtual
D.C., San Francisco Lead Pandemic Work From Home Trend
Remote work increased threefold during the pandemic, but the numbers vary significantly from city to city and region to region. Almost half of D.C.-area employees, for example, worked from home in 2021, according to American Community Survey data.
The Future of Downtowns Still Hangs in the Balance
Center City in Philadelphia offers a case study for one of the largest and potentially most consequential contingencies of the pandemic: What happens to downtowns is most workers never come back to the office?
Two Stories From 2020: Which Is True?
Have all cities lost people due to COVID-19, or just a few high-cost ones?
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research