Connecticut is trying to reform state and local zoning laws to allow diverse and affordable housing production. However, their efforts still rely on the suburban approach — accruing large amounts of debt in anticipation of future growth — so they may be doomed to failure.
Read MoreIn 2017, California passed a law that was supposed to open up new levels of incremental development. But in many cities, zoning codes still make that development near-impossible. The city of Ukiah is working to change that.
Read MoreA bill to legalize certain forms of “missing middle” housing statewide in Minnesota appears dead in the legislature. Yet, here are 4 reasons why it’s still not a total loss.
Read MoreNorfolk, NE, knows that people are the indicator species of a successful place, and it’s doing all it can to make its public spaces friendly to its people.
Read MoreThere is nothing inspirational in calling the place you live as accessory to something else. It’s time we returned a sense of dignity to the smaller structures that people have called “home” for generations.
Read MoreFor the first time this year, I attended the YIMBYTown conference, the annual gathering of the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement. Here were my impressions.
Read MoreLike so many other places, the city of Kalamazoo, MI, has been facing a cascade of housing challenges. Here’s how they’re tackling them using pre-approved housing plans.
Read MoreSacramento City Council has unanimously approved a set of changes that will allow the California capital to meet its housing demands.
Read MoreThis Philadelphia museum has won regional and national praise, and titled a “Philadelphia Cultural Treasure.” Yet, that didn’t stop the Zoning Board of Adjustments from challenging the homegrown institution's right to operate.
Read MoreA string of mistakes in one city shows how easily local rules can turn arbitrary and destructive.
Read MoreSpokane, WA, has finalized its year-long effort to legalize more housing choices across the city—and their new code is something other cities should be paying attention to.
Read MoreSomerville, MA, is a thriving and vibrant city. So how is it that its own planners declared it an illegal place to build!?
Read MoreAlexandria, VA, one of the U.S.’s earliest settled cities, has just eliminated single-family zoning.
Read MoreThe city of Edmonton, AB, has passed substantial zoning reforms that officials and housing advocates hope will generate more infill construction and help the fast-growing city add housing to keep pace.
Read MoreRestrictive zoning can make it so that smaller residential developments face the same prohibitively expensive restrictions as larger commercial units. But the state of North Carolina has passed a new bill to address this issue.
Read MoreHere are six tried and tested, “no-brainer” zoning reforms any city or town in North America should consider adopting.
Read MoreHow many zones does Seattle have? The answer might shock you! (And it reveals some uncomfortable truths about the city’s absurd land use regulation.)
Read MoreMost of your city’s zoning likely prohibits multifamily housing—even of a modest form, like triple-deckers. If so, you have the arrogance of early zoning reformers to thank for it.
Read MoreA quirk of Houstonian zoning has enabled some residents to start thickening up their neighborhoods, albeit through technically illegal means.
Read MoreAccording to the United States Census, prior to the pandemic, half of all businesses in the U.S. were home based and nearly eight million people worked primarily from home…but according to urban planners, this is illegal!?
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