With government plans to increase the amount of land used for affordable housing in Melbourne, Australia, some say it's time for a regional planning entity.
"The Victorian Government's decision this week to release new land for more affordable housing in well-planned communities is socially appropriate. But how can we ensure that these new areas will provide the best, most sustainable and interesting environment that the residents can afford? How will the promise of new community be delivered?"
"One thing is certain and that is we will not preserve and reshape Melbourne by accident. If we are to preserve the best of what we have while making the city even more liveable, exciting and sustainable, we need to empower government to lead this effort at a metropolitan level. A metropolitan planning authority could integrate the plans of transport and infrastructure authorities, define pockets of higher density and produce appropriate controls - in effect, it could make things happen. Backed by ministerial authority, such an organisation could provide the decisive leadership needed to create Australia's largest city without losing the essential qualities of the Melbourne we know and love."
FULL STORY: Many hands make planning hard work
Bay Area Planners Acknowledge the Need for Regional Housing Solutions
While most Bay Area communities are pursuing housing solutions "individually," local planners acknowledge the need for strategies that address the regional as a unified whole.
New Spending, Planning Approved to Address Affordable Housing Crisis in Columbus
Columbus approved an emergency allotment of capital improvement bond funding for housing, and the launch of an affordable housing strategy process.
NYC Planning Director Marissa Lago Touts Regional Planning
Marisa Lago pens in an opinion piece supporting a regional approach to planning, timed for the release of a new "Geography of Jobs" report.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
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Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
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Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
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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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
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