A community activist tracked the location of teardowns in her suburban neighborhood, bringing attention to the problem and eventually leading to a change in zoning to help prevent further demolitions.
"On Liz George's virtual tour of Montclair, she pauses at a flower-lined path on Grove Street that leads to the sheltering porch of the storied Marlboro Inn. With a click of the mouse, the inn is replaced by 10 luxury homes, a development known as Christopher Court -- or 'Crisco,' as she calls it." George's teardown map has an impact on public policy. A developer bought a blue-shuttered Colonial-style house for $870,000 last fall and demolished it this summer with plans to build six town homes. "The action led town officials to rezone about 200 lots -- including this property -- from a designation that allows up to eight units on a single lot to a designation that allows only two."
FULL STORY: A Town’s Architectural Shift, Chronicled Online
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Rethinking Wildfire Defense: How a Landscape Approach Can Protect Neighborhoods
Post-fire analysis of the Eaton Fire reveals that a landscape approach — including fire-resistant vegetation, home hardening, and strategic planning — can help reduce wildfire risk, challenging assumptions that trees and plants are primary fire hazards.
Scientists Studying Artificial Reefs as Flood Mitigation in Great Lakes
Artificial reefs could offer a ‘softer’ flood management and erosion solution that doesn’t disrupt the flow of sediment.
FEMA Resilience Program Cuts Grant Funding
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program funded projects from flood prevention to power station upgrades.
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Caltrans
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland