Zoning

Legalizing Chickens in St. Louis
If passed, St. Louis's new zoning regulations will allow residents of St. Louis to keep up to eight rabbits or chickens, among other animals.

Denied Mosque Rezoning Violated Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act
The city of Des Plaines, Illinois has entered into a consent decree with the Justice Department to ensure it acts in accordance with the law regarding future zoning requests from religious institutions.

Harlem Zoning Changes Will Allow for More Density
An additional 3,500 units means more money for land owners and more choices apartment seekers in east Harlem.

Downzoning in the Hopes of Attracting Prestige Businesses
South Side Chicago Alderman Leslie Hairston says downzoning 71st will help 'take control of our corridor,' but some worry the move is a power grab that will ultimately stifle prospects for the neighborhood.

New Jersey Mosque Beats 'Discriminatory' Zoning
A proposed mosque in Bernards Township will move forward, after the DOJ sued the town for using zoning ordinances to undermine Muslims' religious freedom.

A Relentless D.C. Zoning Activist
Chris Otten says change doesn't come from "being nice to decision makers," so he's comfortable being confrontational with developers and City Council members he sees as taking advantage of the poor.

Progressives Against Housing
In Zoned Out!, Tom Angotti, of City University New York (CUNY) tries to make the case against upzoning New York's neighborhoods (or at least its poorer ones).

CNU 25 Seattle: Highlights from the Silver Anniversary
A summary of last week's events in Seattle: CNU 25 and ULI, written by Hazel Borys.

Palo Alto City Council Changes Zoning Language to Make Software Companies Legal in the City
Strange as it may sound, the city in the heart of U.S. software country had an ordinance that made such companies were illegal, even though such companies are common in the city.

A Path to Looser Land Use Regulations
Harvard economics professor Edward Glaeser discusses the research on local land use controls, and why it makes sense to reevaluate them. Successful approaches may start at the state level.

Proposed New Zoning Around the Los Angeles Expo Line
Los Angeles' proposed transit neighborhood plan for the Expo Line corridor includes minor changes, but nothing earth-shattering. Many of the line's stations remain underutilized.

Planning and Zoning for Growth: A Few Lessons from Los Angeles
C.J. Gabbe guest blogs about a recent article in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

Apartments Zoned Out of Near North Side Chicago Train Stations
Zoning around Chicago's public transit in relatively affluent areas won't allow for density or any kind of housing other than single family homes.
New Jersey Town Rejects Mosque, Claims Zoning Issues
Bayonne, New Jersey doesn't currently have a mosque, after a heated six-hour zoning meeting officials have rejected an application to build one.

Too Much Parking in Boston
A Massachusetts regional planning agency says many of Boston's neighborhoods have too many unused parking spaces.

Critics: NYC Zoning Promotes Segregation, Inequality
The editors of a new book on displacement in New York argue that the city's historical record of exclusionary zoning carries over into the present. Urbanist concepts in vogue today simply rehash old divides.
Pasadena Urged to Purge Poison Pills from ADU Reform Ordinance
Pasadena is adopting accessory dwelling unit (ADU) reform in response to state legislation designed to spur affordable housing options by easing restrictions on ADUs. But is it really entrenchment dressed as reform?

Inland Empire Community Looking for Ways to Meet Environmental Standards
Those who live in Bloomington, east of L.A., face factories on all sides and a high incidence of asthma. Some feel polluters should be made to 'clean up their messes' with punishments rather than government funds.
The 'Missing Middle' Affordable Housing Solution
Karen Parolek discusses the 'Missing Middle' that is too often overlooked in discussions about affordable housing.

Op-Ed: Exclusionary Zoning Worsens Education Gap
Pete Rodrigue pulls from multiple studies, arguing that zoning contributes to an education gap between rich and poor students. Housing costs lie at the heart of the problem.
Pagination
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