Zoning

Ohio Man's Zombie Nativity Scene Deemed an Accessory Structure
A man's front yard nativity scene featuring zombies was declared an accessory structure, in violation of the zoning code, because it had a roof
Pasadena's Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance Called Out as a 'Poison Pill'
Pasadena's accessory dwelling unit is designed more to prevent than accommodate accessory dwelling units. Planner and Pasadena resident Jonathan P. Bell implores the city's Planning Commission to reform it.

Does Suburbia Promote Fertility?
In Joel Kotkin's new book The Human City, he argues that suburbanization promotes higher birthrates. But this policy doesn't seem to have worked so far.

Critiquing Temple University's Plan to Build a New Football Stadium
Despite a turbulent year for the university, Temple presses ahead with plans for a new football stadium in a dense residential area.

Are States Too Active or Not Active Enough? Yes.
State governments like to limit local taxing authority but not local zoning—maybe they should do the exact opposite.

Are the Skies Like Wilderness, and Do Drones Belong?
Love 'em or hate 'em, drones are coming. But is the issue of aesthetics getting enough treatment in the drone wars?
Philadelphia Renaissance Threatens Working Diamond District
Heretofore preservationists in the City of Brotherly Love have been focused on finding new uses for vacant, historic buildings, but the city's economic resurgence now threatens five, occupied low-rise buildings city's in vibrant Jewelers Row.

How 'Zoned Capacity' Skews the Debate About Housing
Zoned capacity is often as a statistic to support anti-development arguments. One write endeavors to thoroughly debunk the idea that Seattle has enough zoned capacity to meet its growing demand for housing.

Denver to Offer New Transit Oriented Height Bonuses for Affordable Housing
The city of Denver is going all in for incentive zoning to ensure affordable housing is included among new developments in the neighborhood around the new 38th and Blake transit station.

Lack of Zoning Leaves Houston Neighborhoods Vulnerable to Pollution
Houston doesn't compare well with other cities when it comes to locating polluting industrial uses near residential neighborhoods. Blame the city's lack of zoning, according to new research.
Zoning Serves Communitarian Interests, Too
Zoning isn’t just a tool of self interest, according to a recent polemic by USC planning professor Lisa Schweitzer.

How a Cartoon Enabled Meaningful Parking Reform in Ottawa
Want parking reform without tears?

D.C.'s Comprehensive Zoning Update Takes Effect
After nine years of controversy, the District's first zoning revamp since 1958 is officially on the books.
Group Living Challenges Single-Family Norms, and That's Okay
Faced with a national housing crisis, it's time for cities to stop letting social mores dictate who can live where.

Mapping L.A.'s Zoning Changes Finds Little Room for Upzoning
A new study makes a visual case against the narrative that spot zoning and a broken development approval process are running roughshod over the entire city.

Los Angeles' Neighborhood Integrity Initiative Presents Demands to City Leaders
Last week, leaders of the initiative to curb development in L.A. surprisingly presented Mayor Eric Garcetti with an ultimatum: Agree to their list of demands by August 24, or they will take the issue to the March 2017 ballot.

Neighborhoods Push for Benefits in New York Zoning Plan
The Brooklyn neighborhood of Gowanus was recently added to Mayor de Blasio’s sweeping zoning reform plan. But Gowanus also has plans of its own.

Department of Justice Steps in to Halt Religious Discrimination Through Zoning
As the U.S. Department of Justice takes action to protect the religious freedoms of Muslims in the United States, zoning decisions have proven a particularly common source of anxiety among Muslim communities.

Bloomington Allows Artisanal Production in Retail Zones
Craft beer aficionados take note. Bloomington, Illinois now allows businesses selling artisanal products to manufacture their goods on-site. The ruling blurs a distinction between industrial and commercial zoning.

Reexamining the Origins of Zoning
According to Seymour Toll's 1969 book, New York City's 1916 zoning code was less a civic-minded project than an attempt to protect elite retail districts from the riff-raff. The ramifications for American zoning at large are significant.
Pagination
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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