Land Use Law
Baton Rouge Will Split into Two Cities Following Court Ruling
A wealthy portion of Baton Rouge will split off and incorporate its own city in what proponents say is a bid for better schools and reduced crime, but critics say it will gut Baton Rouge’s tax base and result in a wealthy ‘white enclave.’
Fusion Businesses as Indicators of Urban Change
Chuck Wolfe explains how the fusion of laundromats and dining are evidence of the evolving city and the ongoing need for regulatory reform.
What Does It Take to Live in 300 Square Feet?
For ninety days, Ben Brown lived out of a 308-square-foot cottage designed by Marianne Cusato. He discovered that you really needed to be connected to your community when living in tight quarters.
Planner Malpractice?
Amanda Thompson, planning director of Decatur, GA, suggests that it is a good thing there isn't such a thing as "designer malpractice" or planners would be sued for the horrible impact their work has had on the public health.
American Imperialism, Islands and Bird Droppings
A Columbia professor finds an obscure 1856 document that created the legal precedents that allowed the United States to seize and hold islands, and it all ties back to bird poop.
Does Property Ownership Go Against the Common Good?
A new book argues that yes, the priorities of private property often trump those of democracy, community, free expression and life outside of the marketplace.
Houstonians Ready for Regulation
A survey shows that 2/3rds of Houston residents are ready for stricter land use regulations. This follows a number of high-profile clashes between neighborhoods and developers who want to build in them.
Teens on Planning Commissions? No More, Says Michigan
Michigan's one-year experiment in giving local mayors and township supervisors the option to appoint someone less than 18 years-of-age to a planning commission appears to be coming to an abrupt end.
Big Possibilities, Big Dangers
A new growth management law in Florida is both good news and bad news, says Jane Healy of the Orlando Sentinel.
Anybody For Some Duck Duck Goose?: Planning School, Semester Two Begins
On Friday, in the first week of my second semester of planning graduate school, we did the hokey-pokey. We put our right foot in, put our right foot out, put our right foot in, and then we shook it all about. We turned ourselves around. That was what it was all about. The demonstration was all about pointing out common ground and how people were rooted in order to approach problem solving and conflict resolution. It sounds a little squishy, I know. But it got the point across, and more important, it introduced the dance to one international student who had never heard of the hokey-pokey.
Controversial Land Use Law in Utah
A battle is brewing in Utah over a Senate bill that banned voters from overturning land use decisions, and the power plant that is the first significant land use to be impacted by the law.
Should the Internet Replace Newspapers for Public Notices?
In thousands of planning and zoning laws across the nation, official announcements are required to be published in the local newspaper of "general circulation." In an era of newspaper decline and expanding diversity of media, are these laws becoming obsolete? Furthermore, should we be concerned with newspapers at all if a newer, more universally accessible medium is available: the Internet? A variety of announcements are legally required to be published in a local periodical of "general circulation," sometimes in addition to being published in an official government gazette. The practice entered the planning world through the U.S. Department of Commerce's highly influential standard zoning and planning enabling acts.
Mow Your Lawn -- Or Else
Canton, Ohio residents and property owners who don't pay close enough attention to their lawns could face jail time. A new law would apply to repeat offenders and to lawns and weeds growing higher than eight inches.
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
