Austin's new citywide plan is complete and could be adopted in 2006.
"If the rules work, city planners say, they will not only beautify big chain stores but also gradually change Austin's feel by adding sidewalks and shade and by better linking stores to compel more people to walk and bike.
...The plan requires all stores to have basic features such as more native plants for landscaping, more shade and less-conspicuous parking. But it is flexible, too, letting developers choose from ideas thought to create smarter design.
...The crux of the rules is a modern urban-planning idea that Austin has not embraced: that the road on which a store sits should determine how it looks. Currently, a store's look is based mostly on the zoning of its individual plot of land.
...Mixed-use buildings jibe with Envision Central Texas, the 2004 planning study embraced by city leaders that calls for denser development in some areas in an effort to curb suburban sprawl."
FULL STORY: Austin panel sees spiffier city ahead

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill
A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users
A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.

Op-Ed: Looking for Efficiency? Fund Intercity Buses
Much less expensive than rail, intercity buses serve millions of Americans every year, but public subsidies are lacking.
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