Portland, Oregon planners are updating the city's zoning to make home improvements for solar panels and eco-roofing easier to do, but some developers think it will actually make things more difficult.
Nathalie Weinstein writes, "As solar panels and eco-roofs become nearly as common as doors or windows, new code amendments would allow faster permitting of those green features on certain structures.
An exemption for solar panels and eco-roofs would allow those improvements to be added to existing buildings without triggering a design review, as long as nothing else is being done to the building."
FULL STORY: Greening zoning codes to match city’s sustainable mindset
France to Require Green Roofs for Commercial Buildings
The French Parliament has approved legislation requiring commercial buildings to partially cover their rooftops in either plants or solar panels.
Green Zoning Advances in New York
Tom Stoelker reports on the progress of New York City's Zone Green initiative, a comprehensive effort to make it easier to construct green buildings and retrofit existing ones, that passed the City Planning Commission unanimously this past week.
California Leads in Solar Rooftops
A combination of state and local incentives and building code mandates has helped California far outpace other states in residential rooftop solar permits.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
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.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
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City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
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NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service