Local Control
Local Control and the Housing Crisis
The unchecked power of individual city councilmembers has, in some cases, restricted housing development and fueled corruption.
Iowa Makes it Easier for Landlords to Reject Housing Vouchers
The state of Iowa's Republican leadership preempted local laws that prevent landlords from rejecting housing vouchers as rent payment.
Texas Legislature Would Preempt Local Law to Ban Homeless Encampments
The state of Texas and the city of Austin are moving in opposite directions on how best to respond to the needs of people experiencing homelessness.
Virginia Set to Pass Bill Lowering Minimum Speed Limit
The Virginia General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow localities to set speed limits as low as 15 miles per hour.
Speed Limit Reform Spreading Across Minnesota
After the Twin Cities lowered speed limits in the urban core of the region in 2020, a trio of suburban cities are planning to follow. Two of the cities are planning to set some speed limits as low as 20 mph.
Some Santa Monica City Councilmembers Unhappy With Housing Element Update
Local leaders are challenging state-mandated affordable housing requirements for the 2021-2029 cycle.
Philadelphia Neighborhoods Leverage Zoning Overlays for Local Control
Overlay districts provide a tool for guiding the future of development and environmental controls at the neighborhood level.
Report: California's Affordable Housing Allocation Favors Wealthy Coastal Cities
A combination of factors including a lengthy appeals process and the cost of construction have led to huge disparities in the number of units allocated to each community.
A Year of Climate Action for Cities
The Trump administration might have dealt numerous setbacks in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but climate action in 2020 went local, with cities all over the country finding new ways to reduce emissions.
Comprehensive Update to Washington State's Growth Management Act Expected in 2021
Effective planning processes offer immense financial savings, and there's never been a more pressing need for both. The state of Washington is setting out to prove the planning dividend.
Why Gwinnett County Rejected a Transit Tax Again
Coronavirus and a heavy rail project doomed a transit sales tax in Gwinnett County, Georgia, according to this election post-mortem.
Lessons From Rent Control's Latest Election Rejection
California voters, with a reputation for liberal politics, have repeatedly refused to approve statewide rent control laws at the ballot box.
'20 Is Plenty' in the Twin Cities
The first 20 mile per hour speed limit signs have been installed this week in the Twin Cities.
Transit Sales Tax Hinges on Local Control in Suburban Atlanta
Gwinnett County voters living have rejected proposals to pay taxes for the MARTA transit system before, so the latest proposal for a transit sales tax is going to great lengths to prove its local control bonafides.
The Causes of California's Development Malaise
A spate of recent articles has taken a critical look at the regulatory obstacles to a progrssive planning vision in the state of California.
The Hypocrisies and Troubles of Local Control
President Trump has opinions about the sanctity of local control that don't agree with his other opinions about local control. This is a cautionary tale.
Houston Lacks Zoning—Or Does It? The State Supreme Court Will Decide
A lawsuit argues that Houston's Historic Preservation Ordinance is a form of de facto land use control, equivalent to zoning, which isn't allowed by state and local laws.
Another Defeat for Statewide Zoning Reform in California
Another year, another defeat for sweeping changes to the status quo of single-family zoning in the state of California. SB 1120 would have allowed duplexes in areas previously zoned for detached single family zoning.
South L.A. Townhall Opposes SB 1120 Statewide Upzoning Bill
L.A. City Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Paul Koretz register opposition to SB 1120, calling the bill an attack on the residential integrity throughout the state of California.
Missing Middle Zoning Reform Advances in the Vermont Legislature
The Vermont State Senate voted unanimously to approve legislation that would reduce barriers to more compact residential development. The Vermont House of Representatives is up next.
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
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
