Growing Greener: Conservation Subdivision Design
Noted conservation planner Randall Arendt offers a framework for subdivision review that encourages the preservation of open space and natural areas, while enhancing the market value of development.
Housing & Development
Articles and postings on a wide range of housing and development issues — from affordability to the relationship of housing to transportation.
Continue to older articles & posts — or return to newer ones — where you see the green buttons at the bottom of the page.
A Mix of Housing
Some insights on our mix of housing, by Providence, Rhode Island architecture and urban planning columnist David Brussat.
Community Land Trusts: An Introduction
Community land trusts are offering an increasing number of communities a way of developing long-term affordable housing. An introduction to the role community land trusts can play.
Dealing With the Fear of Multi-Family Housing
Steps planners can take to improve the quality, and acceptability, of multi-family housing.
Designing Multi-Family Housing for Residential Neighborhoods
Two award-winning architects discuss how they’ve approached integrating multi-family housing into residential neighborhoods.
Is Your Community Being Invaded by NIMBYs?
Elaine Cogan offers strategies for dealing with NIMBYs when they show up at your meetings. Includes Sidebar, “Some Observations on NIMBY-ism,” by long-time planner, Perry Norton.
Understanding “CPTED”
A brief overview of how environmental design principles can help deter neighborhood crime.
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in Sarasota, Florida
In Sarasota, police and planning departments have worked together to implement “CPTED” concepts in a rundown, high crime district. The results: reduced crime and a neighborhood on the road to recovery.
America’s Joka-Machi
Why the explosive growth in “secure” developments across the nation harkens back to medieval Japan’s joka-machi or gated communities.
Planned Unit Developments
Attorney Mary McMaster provides an overview of “planned unit developments,” including considerations in preparing a PUD ordinance.
Building On Common Ground
Planners and developers need to work together on issues that really matter, argues Joseph Molinaro of the National Association of Homebuilders.
Telecommuting: Possible Futures for Urban & Rural Communities
Telecommuting is one part of a revolution bring sweeping changes in how and where we work.
Restricting Home Occupations
Attorney Brett Weiss speaks to the need for more flexibility in zoning ordinances and restrictive covenants when dealing with home occupations.
