Nolan Gray: How Zoning Broke the American City (and How To Fix It)

“What if scrapping one flawed policy could bring U.S. cities closer to addressing debilitating housing shortages, stunted growth and innovation, persistent racial and economic segregation, and car-dependent development?”

Zoning, Top StorySeairra SheppardApril 17, 2023zoning, National Gathering, post roundup, urban planning

The Goldilocks and the Three Bears Approach to Redevelopment

Developers and builders often ask the same question: “What can I build on x lot?” But what is it that they’re actually looking for, and how can the urban planners they work with help them make the most of a given space?

Urban Design, Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtMarch 24, 2023urban design, urban planning, developers, Development, development, redevelopment

Don’t Like Sprawl? Just Call It Something Else.

The state of Florida has a bold new strategy to eliminate the adverse effects of urban sprawl: Change the definition.

News, Top StoryBen AbramsonMarch 22, 2023sprawl, Florida, suburban development pattern, development pattern, urban planning, local government

28 Promises Jeff Speck Says All Planners Should Make to the Public

In the 10th anniversary edition of his book Walkable City, Jeff Speck suggests a new pledge that professional planners should take in order to qualify for certification—and to better serve society.

Safe & Productive Streets, Planning Profession, Top StoryJeff SpeckMarch 6, 2023urban planning, planning profession, walkability, planning process, Jeff Speck, books, Safe and Productive Streets

Build to the Street

Building to the street can create urban form and character, and increase the productivity of a site—even a site like this airport hotel.

Edward Erfurt, Urban Design, Top StoryEdward ErfurtFebruary 24, 2023urban design, urban planning, urbanism, traditional development pattern, hotels, productive place, Safe and Productive Streets, canada

Recovering the Lost Art of Mixed-Use Development

Mixed-use development was once the norm in cities and towns, but most Americans no longer remember how it works. Here are 3 easy-to-understand forms that mixed use could (and should) take in your community.

Edward Erfurt, Planning Profession, Zoning, Top Story 2, Incremental HousingEdward ErfurtDecember 2, 2022mixed use, development pattern, traditional development pattern, urban planning, Development, development, planning profession, planning process

Taco John’s 2.0

Our most famous case study revealed the high cost of auto-oriented development. But what if a little creative rearrangement could make things a whole lot better?

Urban Design, Edward Erfurt, Top Story, End Parking MandatesEdward ErfurtOctober 21, 2022urban planning, urban design, traditional development pattern, suburban development pattern, Taco Johns, Brainerd MN, Parking, parking, suburban retrofit, productive place

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Moving from Planning to Action

Strong Towns member Spencer Gardner is the new planning director for the city of Spokane, WA, and he’s been helping his city take action on important housing issues.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Top Story, Success Story, Membership, Member Profiles, Gardner, Housing, ZoningStrong TownsSeptember 1, 2022Podcast, Spokane, planning profession, urban planning, Incremental Housing, accessory dwelling units

McMain Streets, Gentrification, and the Futility of Authenticity as Urbanism Becomes Mainstream

As people interested in undoing damage caused by the rise of the suburban development pattern, how should we feel about so-called “McMain Streets”?

Suburban Experiment, Top StoryAlex MusicJuly 15, 2022suburbs, suburbanization, suburban experiment, walkability, gentrification, Gentrification, urban planning, urban design, Urban Renewal

Modern Urban Planning Is Inside Out

Today, city planning departments obsess over what happens inside buildings but pay scant attention to the quality of the space outside them.

Urban Design, Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 6, 2022urban design, urban planning, Parks, parks, public space, planning process, Privatization, Florida, design, Development, development

What Thinking Like a Mountain Has To Teach Us About Thinking Like a City

Aldo Leopold was an ecologist, not an urban planner, but insights from his Sand County Almanac can resonate with anyone interested in urbanism.

Top StorySeth ZerenJune 24, 2022urbanism, books, ecology, environment, Development, development, urban design, urban planning

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Community Design for Stronger Towns

Ann Zadeh is a Strong Towns member, former city councilwoman, and community design leader in Fort Worth, TX.

Wealth and Buildings

In the realm of urban planning, there’s plenty of discourse out there about housing affordability—but what about household wealth building?

Housing, Suburban Experiment, Urban Design, Planning Profession, Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergMay 23, 2022Kevin Klinkenberg, housing, housing affordability, finance, housing finance, Homeownership, homeownership, urban planning, urbanism, suburbs, suburban experiment, suburbanization

Reflections on Seaside

What does and doesn’t work about the “great-granddaddy” of New Urbanism?

Walkability, Urban Design, Incrementalism, Top StorySeth ZerenApril 22, 2022Florida, urbanism, New Urbanism, urban planning, urban design, placemaking, human scale, incrementalism, incremental development, incremental, traditional development pattern, walkability

The Road That Killed a City

From its one-time status as one of America’s most prosperous cities, Hartford, CT, is now one of the poorest—no thanks to its mid-twentieth-century urban renewal projects.

Does a Thrift Store Really Need a 40-Page Zoning Decision?

This document shows just how much our arcane land-use regulations prohibit neighborhoods from developing organically and un-self-consciously.

Zoning, Planning Profession, Top StoryAddison Del MastroMarch 15, 2022NIMBY, zoning, big box stores, business, local business, Addison Del Mastro, planning process, urban planning, Maryland

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Using Communicative Planning

Shelley Denison is a city planner in Sandy, OR, who views planning as a relationship between residents and leaders.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Planning Profession, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 3, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, missing middle, urban planning

What Have Cities *Actually* Accomplished in the Past 100 Years?

The modern conceit is that we are far more advanced than the people of past generations—but how do our cities really stack up against those of the past?

Urban Design, Zoning, Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergMarch 2, 2022history, urban planning, planning profession, urban design, Kansas City, missouri, Missouri, zoning

Two Highways and Two Eras in New Jersey

These two highways in New Jersey run parallel and very close to each other—and traveling along them allows a sustained view of two different development approaches.