Urban Growth Boundaries
One of the most remarkable aspects of Oregon planning law is the “urban growth boundary” (UGB). A look at how it works.
Growth Management
Many planning commissions, through the comprehensive plan and other tools, seek to better manage and direct the timing and location of growth in their community. These articles look at different aspects of growth management.
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Most Recent Articles
Wow! That’s Quite a Cut
One of the Portland, Oregon, metro area’s most ambitious goals is to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Significant progress has already been made, but much more remains to be accomplished.
A Question of Scale
Demographic changes raise questions about what scale of development best fits neighborhoods and commercial districts. Planner and contributing writer Beth Humstone on how to respond to these questions.
Talking with Beth Humstone about “Building Invisible Walls”
A follow up conversation with Beth Humstone about her recent PCJ article on urban growth boundaries.
The Tee-Ball Approach to Development (and how to avoid it)
Planning for the impacts of new development can make a difference to your municipality’s fiscal well-being.
Building Invisible Walls: Urban Growth Boundaries
How urban growth boundaries work, and why a growing number of metropolitan areas are using them.
Getting the Density You Want
Perhaps nothing gets a community more riled up than a discussion of density. How can you plan for the density that works best for your community?
The ABC’s of TOD: Transit-Oriented Development
Transit is making a remarkable comeback. But one of the most intriguing aspects is that it is being helped along by — and helping to stimulate — new development close by transit stops. A look how TOD works
Developing at the Edge
A continuing challenge facing many local planning commissions is how to best plan for new development at the edge of existing settled areas. This can be particularly acute in communities facing growth pressure. A look at some tools and strategies for guiding development at the edge.
G is for Growth Management
Through the 1960s, community and regional planning efforts were generally directed to the accommodation of growth as dictated by market forces. But a series of closely grouped actions in the early 1970s laid the foundation for the now widely accepted concept of “growth management.”
S is for Sustainable Development
The benefits of sustainability have re-echoed during our nation’s history. Oftentimes, however, sustainability has been overshadowed by countervailing forces, including large-scale manufacturing and mass production of goods, and a heavy dependence on non-renewable resources.
Back to School for Planners
Decisions about school construction and renovation have profound implications for towns, cities, and counties nationwide. A look at trends & opportunities, impacts schools have, and the positive role planners and planning commissioners can play.
Current Planning Issues: Smart Growth
Planning Commissioners Journal columnist Greg Dale takes a look at two words that have been sweeping the nation: “smart growth.”
