Controversies

Density is a controversial topic, but public opinion on the opportunities and risks of density have shifted in recent decades. To many, density now has a positive connotation.

February 23, 2021 - James Brasuell

The events of the past year shows that the law of supply and demand applies to urban housing, and that gentrification can, in fact, be subdued.

February 8, 2021 - Michael Lewyn

A cause abandoned by the Philadelphia City in 2019 is on the table again.

February 1, 2021 - WHYY

Recently approved laws that force cities to take a more proactive approach to the state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Assessment process are beginning to take effect in California.

January 29, 2021 - San Francisco Weekly

The yongeTOmorrrow project is heading toward the finish line with widespread support from advocates, but a few want the plan to go one step further.

January 19, 2021 - Toronto Star

Planning departments relying on online public hearing processes will want to keep monitor this lawsuit in New York City.

January 18, 2021 - Brooklyn Paper

Gentrification is a process of neighborhood change, usually resulting from an influx of relatively wealthy, white residents to a neighborhood. But that definition, and the controversies that follow, vary greatly by location, and there is no universally accepted definition of the term.

January 14, 2021 - James Brasuell

New York City's groundbreaking Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program will turn five years old in March. While some call for the program to be eliminated, others defend it.

January 13, 2021 - City Limits

Limiting development has been a powerful tool for anti-gentrification activists, but have these policies had counter-productive effects?

January 10, 2021 - The Atlantic

With car ownership rates soaring, the fight for the city's free street parking spots is intensifying.

January 8, 2021 - The New York Times

Insider knowledge on one of the most controversial components of a groundbreaking plan.

January 5, 2021 - Globe St.

And they have the receipts.

December 17, 2020 - The Washington Post

The answer depends on how the question is phrased.

December 14, 2020 - Michael Lewyn

A zoning application in the city of Woodbridge, Connecticut has interests on both sides of the issue lawyering up, and the reverberations from the controversy reach all the way to the state capital.

December 10, 2020 - CT Post

It's a tale as old as time: A plan to rezone ten acres of land in Spokane splits the public and the City Council from the opinions of the city's planning staff and Planning Commission.

December 3, 2020 - The Spokesman-Review

One candidate is seen as combative to developers during a housing crisis, and the other is a real estate agent. The race to lead a section of Reno that includes the city's oldest, most historic neighborhoods came down to 82 votes.

December 2, 2020 - The Nevada Independent

A stinging critique of the public review process in New York City.

November 30, 2020 - Curbed

The California Housing Accountability Act, approved by the State Legislature in 2017, is cited in a court ruling that soundly rebuffs the decision by the South Los Angeles Area Planning Commission to veto a controversial project.

November 17, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

With Planning Commission approval in hand, the Roanoke City Council will soon consider a controversial proposal for a new transit station in the city's downtown.

November 11, 2020 - The Roanoke Times

Back in June, the city of New York seemed poised for a major shift in transportation priority. In October, reality is setting in about how hard a sell the transformation will be.

October 28, 2020 - StreetsBlog NYC