Planning

When Affordable for the County Isn't Affordable for the Neighborhood
A critical question arises in response to an affordable housing project proposed in Phoenix: When measuring a project's affordability, does the larger county's median income matter when some neighborhoods are struggling well beyond that measure?

Inclusionary Zoning Adopted in L.A. County
The county of Los Angeles is looking for policy tools that will add affordable housing units to the housing market. Inclusionary zoning is its policy of choice.

Planning for an Equitable Economic Recovery
The Seattle Planning Commission recently published a report titled "A Racially Equitable and Resilient Recovery."

New Growth Plan Could End Development Moratorium in Montgomery County
A planning change would make it easier to develop housing near transit in Montgomery County, Maryland. In 2018, the county adopted a development moratorium intended to prevent overcrowding in schools.

Cities: Skylines as an Urban Planning Tool
Computer simulations continue to play a novel and important role in urban planning, especially in finding new ways to engage the public and add some fun to the process of planning for the future of cities.

Connecting Sprawl to Inequality and Climate Change
The consequences of more than a century of planning and zoning are gaining more attention in the media as the country struggles through a pandemic. Will these lessons win new political support for more density in residential neighborhoods?

Transitioning from Climate Justice Planning to Climate Justice Action
The Providence Climate Justice Plan offers an exemplary approach to prioritizing the communities and neighborhoods most impacted by the environmental effects of development and industrial pollution.

Planners Call for Deep Police Reforms
A letter signed by over 600 planners calls on the American Planning Association to advocate for fundamental police reforms, in other words, to defund the police.

Seeking '20-Minute Neighborhood' Status in Texas
The neighborhood of Montrose in Houston has undertaken a self-funded study to assess the facts on the ground about walkability in the neighborhood.

Walkability Plan, Including Parking Reform, Adopted in Houston
The city of Houston is embarking on an ambitious plan to reshape how new development in the city prioritizes walkability, and deprioritizes the automobile.

Neighborhood Group Kills Affordable Housing Proposal on Parking Concerns in Denver
An affordable housing project requested a waiver of parking requirements to build 36 deeply affordable housing units in Denver. A local neighborhood organization's opposition to the waiver won the day.

Legal Challenge Brings Down the Plano Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan
Plano Tomorrow, a comprehensive approved in 2015, has been rescinded and replaced with the city's previous master plan, approved in 1986.

Questioning the Fairness of Rezoning During a Pandemic
Virtual reality meetings are a poor substitute for the normal public engagement process included in the city of New York's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, according ton opinion piece recently published by City Limits.

Opinion: The Zoning Reform Discourse Needs a Dose of Reality
Lately it seems like people are forgetting that zoning is a legal process, requiring the support of elected officials.

Edmonton Eliminates Off-Street Parking Requirements Citywide
The parking reform movement continues its march across the continent.

The Untapped Resources to Add Hundreds of Thousands of New Housing Units
A new report explores the untapped housing opportunities for the region around New York City, and suggests planning tools for adding hundreds of thousands of housing units without building hundreds of thousands of new buildings.

New York Updating its Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
Vision 2030 will update the award winning Vision 2020 New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Hired From Short-Term Rental Industry, New Land Use Head Will Also Lead Economic Development in NOLA
New Orleans is attempting a "major paradigm shift" in marrying land use control with economic development goals.

The Equity Case for Upzoning Wealthy Neighborhoods
New York City has completed a series of rezoning processes focused mostly on lower-income areas in the city. Here's what it would take to upzone wealthier parts of the city, and why the city should make it happen.

Well Done, Kiwis! New Zealand Delivers Big Planning Policy Reforms
New Zealand’s new national urban development policy prohibits parking minimums and increases allowable building heights near transit stations. This is a watershed moment for the country’s cities and towns.
Pagination
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.
Ascent Environmental
Borough of Carlisle
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