British Columbia

Vancouver Skyline

Vancouver Home Sales Nosedive After Foreign Buyer Restrictions Take Effect

A new tax on foreign buyers and a threatened tax on vacant homes have contributed to a significant drop in home sales in October.

November 8, 2016 - The Seattle Times

Front Porch

Vancouver May Fast-Track Modular Laneway Homes

The city of Vancouver has emerged as a leader in "laneway" housing: secondary units built onto existing lots, often facing an alleyway. To boost supply, the city may expedite permitting for modular units.

October 27, 2016 - Vancouver Sun

Traffic Jam

Vancouver Area Shoppers Stuck in Four Hour Parking Lot Traffic Jam

Shoppers at the newly opened Tsawwassen Mills shopping mall found themselves in an hours long traffic nightmare as they tried to leave the mall's parking lot.

October 11, 2016 - Daily Hive

Vancouver Skyline

Starchitects Leaving Their Mark on the Vancouver Skyline

It hasn't always been like this, but in recent years, Vancouver has attracted international talent to design some of its splashiest new projects.

October 11, 2016 - Business Vancouver

Vancouver Waterfront

Vancouver Start-Up Wants You to Bid On Your Rent

The founders of Vancouver-based Biddwell are hoping to change the way landlords and potential tenants find each other, but a renters' advocacy body sees the new company as bad news for tenants in an increasingly tight housing market.

August 22, 2016 - The Globe and Mail

Stanley Park Vancouver

5 Goals for Vancouver's New Chief Planner

Vancouver has a new chief planner, and a former chief planner already has a to-do list for the new guy.

August 11, 2016 - Daily Hive

Vancouver

Vancouver's Attempt to Preserve Affordable Housing Causes Waves

On August 2nd, a new 15 percent tax on real estate deals with foreign buyers went into effect. The goal was to cool the hyperactive housing market, but the implementation has caught many by surprise.

August 4, 2016 - CBC News

Hillary Clinton

Planetizen Week in Review: August 1, 2016

Political junkies, map nerds, and transit fans all got plenty of big news to digest during the last week of July 2016.

August 1, 2016 - Planetizen

Car2Go

Vancouver Sees Positive Benefits from Car Sharing

As car sharing services like Car2Go have infiltrated cities including Vancouver, B.C., benefits of reduced car ownership and greenhouse gas emissions are being realized, a new study finds.

July 31, 2016 - The Vancouver Sun

Vancouver Skyline Bikes

Vancouver to Tax Foreign Real Estate Investments

Big news has emerged from British Columbia, where the government has been criticized for not doing more to address the housing affordability crisis.

July 26, 2016 - Vancouver Sun

Vancouver Skyline

Op-Ed: Upzonings Hurting Affordability More Than Helping in Vancouver

Zoning for new housing supply isn't the answer to Vancouver's housing affordability crisis, according to an editorial in the Vancouver Sun. In fact, it might only be making the problem worse.

July 15, 2016 - Vancouver Sun

Justin Trudeau

Trudeau Wary of Unintended Consequences in Dealing with Vancouver's Housing Crisis

Prime Minister Trudeau took sides on one controversial issue central to the debate about the cost of housing in Vancouver, but stopped short of suggesting a clear policy agenda for the federal government to improve the problem.

June 21, 2016 - CBC News

Peace River

Opposition to $6.9 Billion Dam Proposal in British Columbia

A proposal to dam the Peace River, flooding 5,500 hectares (or about 21 square miles), has met resistance from the legal and scientific communities in Canada.

June 12, 2016 - The Georgia Straight

Vancouver

A Love Letter to Vancouver

With so many people writing "Dear John" letters to Vancouver, in addition to high-demand cities around the world, one group of planners and urban designers responds with a love letter.

May 12, 2016 - Modus

Habitat Restoration

New Community Plan to Remake Canada's Capital of Sprawl

Abbotsford is the fifth-largest city in British Columbia by population but the largest by land size. The city's most recent community plan is designed to accommodate new growth without sprawling any farther.

April 21, 2016 - Vancouver Sun

Food Cart

Can Google's 'Popular Times' Feature Change the Way We Plan?

Google's Popular Times can contribute toward better car parking and street planning, but it also has the potential to radically change how we plan.

March 19, 2016 - Medium

Urban Infill

Finding Middle Ground in the Density Debate

Writer Alex Marshall looks to Kitsilano, a Vancouver neighborhood, for urban infill done right. Skyscrapers and mid-rise developments aren't always necessary to achieve more people per square foot.

March 14, 2016 - Governing

Report Finds Much Ado About Nothing for Vancouver Real Estate

Despite reports to the contrary, a recent report created in part by the City of Vancouver, finds that most housing types in the city have yet to be sold to absentee landlords.

March 9, 2016 - The Globe and Mail

Citizen's Carbon Tax Initiative Goes Before Washington State Senate

A group that calls itself Carbon Washington could be at the helm of a new environmental movement to address climate change. They have proposed a $25-per-ton, revenue-neutral carbon tax.

February 22, 2016 - Seattle Weekly

Vancouver and Toronto Lead Big Increases in Canadian Housing Prices

The bloated cost of housing in Vancouver and Toronto has raised concerns among market analysts about a potential correction. Presumably, people in Canada are also worried about the price of housing.

February 19, 2016 - The Vancouver Sun

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.