Land Use Reform

Dallas Approves Forward Dallas Comprehensive Plan Upgrade
The approval came with a raft of amendments, including one that calls for a reevaluation of the plan after five years.

Minneapolis to Begin Environmental Review in Response to 2040 Plan Lawsuit
After environmental groups sought to stop the city’s ambitious comprehensive plan, Minneapolis is looking for ways to resume its implementation.

A Comprehensive Overhaul of Planning Considered in New York City
The New York City Council this week released a report that suggest the city do away with its "piecemeal" approach to planning in favor of a new comprehensive planning framework.

Citywide Zoning Reform Approved in Everett
Few cities are accomplishing such a swift and sweeping overhaul of its land use regulations as Everett, Washington, which just wrapped up its second major planning initiative in as many years on its way to launching a third.

Statewide Zoning Changes Adopted in Oregon to Limit Parking, Add Missing Middle
The state of Oregon made planning history in 2019 by adopting House Bill 2001, paving the way for the state to preempt local exclusionary zoning laws. Now, over a year later, the state land use board has decided how to implement that goal.

Sweeping Zoning Reforms Adopted in Olympia
The Olympia, Washington City Council adopted a new Housing Options Code Amendments ordinance, effectively eliminating single-family zoning in the city.

Local Zoning Controversy Raises Bigger Questions About Race and Discrimination
A zoning application in the city of Woodbridge, Connecticut has interests on both sides of the issue lawyering up, and the reverberations from the controversy reach all the way to the state capital.

Zoning Changes Would Allow Transit-Oriented Multi-Family Development in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland wants to put its zoning where its transit is—it's just the latest in a string of transit-oriented land use reforms for the famously suburban county.

Montgomery County Charts a New Path with 'Thrive 2050'
A new plan under development in Montgomery County, Maryland plots a course change for the famously suburban county.

Atlanta to Tackle Affordability by Zoning Reform
A new initiative designed to implement the goals of the One Atlanta Housing Affordability Action Plan was announced last week in Atlanta.

A Contemporary Update to the #BlackFridayParking Tradition
For years, Strong Towns readers have been pointing out the vast empty parking lots on the busiest shopping day of the year as evidence of poor land use regulations. Now the #iwishthisparkingwas hashtag imagines a different future.

Four Steps for Effective Land Use Reform
Land use and zoning reform is not a magic wand, and effective changes to any planning regime change requires careful work. A new report Urban Institute provides case studies and guidance on how to achieve desired outcomes from a reform process.

On the Ballot in Alameda: The End of Single-Family Zoning
Voters in Alameda, a city of nearly 80,000 people on an island in the East San Francisco Bay Area, will vote to end a prohibition on multi-family housing that has been in place since 1973.

An Online Portal for Designing Accessory Dwelling Units
The ADUniverse website offers pre-approved designs for homeowners who want to add Accessory Dwelling Units on properties in Seattle.

The COVID-19 Housing Crisis and the Housing Affordability Crisis Have the Same Solutions
The solutions for the U.S. housing crisis caused by the economic wreckage of COVID-19 will also provide relief in the future, according to this article.
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