Zoning

As St. Louis and Portland speed along with new streetcar developments, Yonah Freemark considers how zoning may determine the success of one, and the failure of another.

September 23, 2012 - the transport politic

Stringent zoning, high costs, and a culture of skepticism directed at developers have hampered efforts to introduce infill redevelopment into some of Minneapolis' most prime locations.

September 8, 2012 - MinnPost

Decades ago, ecologist Garrett Hardin wrote about the "tragedy of the commons"- when an action that is rational for one person becomes irrational when widely practiced.  For example, suppose that there are a few dozen cattle ranchers near a pasture open to all.  It makes sense for each rancher to let as many cattle graze as possible on the pasture, so that the ranchers can feed their cattle without buying additional land.  But if every rancher lets as many cattle as possible graze, sooner or later the land will be overgrazed and the cattle may starve.

August 27, 2012 - Michael Lewyn

This week, Philadelphia officially enacted the long-overdue replacement to its antiquated 1962 zoning code. City leaders hope the simplified and modernized code will encourage development.

August 24, 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

John Hoeffel reports on the unwavering efforts of bee enthusiasts to legalize beekeeping in residential areas of Los Angeles.

July 17, 2012 - The Los Angeles Times

Matt Bevilacqua talks shop with Emily Talen, whose new book explores the way land use regulation has shaped American cities and how it's all about to change.

July 5, 2012 - Next American City

David Steel explains how Buffalo's zoning code not only makes it impossible to build the type of neighborhoods people love, but also guarantees that low density development pays less taxes.

June 29, 2012 - Rust Wire

Anthony Flint reports on the actions of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative lobbying group that is working behind the scenes to weaken the power of local zoning restrictions.

June 27, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In this excerpt from the new book, "City Rules: How Regulations Affect Urban Form," author Emily Talen outlines the ways in which zoning ordinances, building codes and other bureaucratic restrictions negatively affect urban areas.

June 26, 2012 - City Limits

As traditional zoning comes under increasing criticism for its exclusionary practices, strict separation of uses, and controls on density, Daniel Nairn explores its genesis and the arguments of pioneering planner Edward Murray Bassett.

May 28, 2012 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Nate Berg examines new research linking restrictive land use regulations to academically stratified neighborhoods.

April 21, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

John Yung looks at how an overabundance of off-street parking spaces and outdated parking policies are harming Cincinnati's downtown rebound, and proposes three solutions to address the city's parking problem.

March 29, 2012 - UrbanCincy

Anil Dash examines how public spaces are less valued when they are owned by private companies as evidenced in New York City.

March 13, 2012 - Anil Dash

Architect Jeanne Gang and scholar Greg Lindsay have penned an opinion piece in which they investigate the ways in which designers and planners can fix the housing crisis by responding to economic, demographic, and cultural changes.

February 12, 2012 - NY Times

Even in New York City, it's a pain to try to "green" a building with insulation, overhangs, and other methods that violate zoning. Katharine Jose reports on the Zone Green Text Amendment, which addresses such impediments, and the team behind it.

January 31, 2012 - Capital New York

However one's feelings on zoning, New York City's Resolution has changed over the years to positively reinforce good social initiatives over the outright banishment of negative uses, Julie V. Iovine reports.

January 20, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

The year 2011 may be remembered by some as the year planners began fielding objections about smart growth from Tea Party supporters. Nathan Norris offers his four-step process for responding.

January 9, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Why rezone? John Farley summarizes the factors leading up to some of the city's biggest and more recent rezonings, as well as their impacts on on their surroundings.

January 5, 2012 - Thirteen.org

By a vote of 17-0, Philadelphia City Council passed into law the final report of the Zoning Code Commission Thursday morning during its final session of the year. The new code was four years in the making.

December 16, 2011 - PlanPhilly.com

The NYC Bar Association Committee advocates making amendments to the city's the current Zoning Resolution to make the city more sustainable.

December 16, 2011 - This Big City