When zoning reform meets private covenants: the HOA obstacle to backyard cottages
As more US cities rewrite zoning rules to allow accessory dwellings, private homeowners’ association covenants remain a barrier that reform alone cannot…
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Seattle’s Centers & Corridors Zoning Update Delayed by Environmental Review Ruling
A state hearings board ruling has forced Seattle to rework the environmental impact statement for its twenty-year growth plan, pushing the next…
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Great Salt Lake lithium extraction offers lessons for urban mineral sourcing
A $100 million federal grant to expand non-evaporative lithium extraction from the Great Salt Lake raises questions about how cities and regions…
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London Urbanism Desk Review: Treating Emergency Infrastructure and Urban Fire Response as Core Planning Policy
An examination of how urban planning, aging fleets, and demanding city conditions require municipal authorities to treat emergency fire response as essential…
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Lynnwood Vision Zero Debate Highlights Municipal Budget Pressures and Traffic Safety Priorities
A proposed Vision Zero action plan in Lynnwood faces political resistance and budget constraints, raising questions about how mid-sized cities balance transport…
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Federal court halts HUD homelessness grant changes following administrative procedure challenge
A federal judge in Rhode Island has blocked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from implementing new criteria for $4…
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Los Angeles Fast-Track Housing Model Sparks Debate as First 80-Unit Building Opens
Los Angeles has completed its first 100 percent affordable housing project under Mayor Karen Bass’s Executive Directive 1, raising questions for urban…
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International Urbanism Review: Sports Venue Subsidies, VMT Housing Metrics, and Austin Rent Dynamics
City Observatory's weekly urbanism review examines academic consensus on sports stadium subsidies, vehicle miles traveled metrics in California housing plans, and the…
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Exploring International Namesakes and Urban Legacies in Comparative Planning
A recent feature from Planetizen examines fifteen US cities and their global namesakes, offering a lens into how transatlantic naming histories and…
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Examining the Concept of De-Gentrification in Modern Urban Planning
A recent analysis explores whether shifting neighborhood demographics and economic pressures point toward an emerging wave of de-gentrification in contemporary cities.
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