Planopedia

Complete streets prioritize the safety and mobility of all users instead of the speed of cars and flow of traffic. After a century of prioritizing automobile travel, the concept of complete streets offer a chance to make streets a place to be used and enjoyed rather than glimpsed through a windshield.

Urban planning is the most common term used in the contemporary United States to describe the professional and academic field of planning, but understanding the implications of the term requires a discussion about the history of the word urban and the changing politics of planning.

Euclidean zoning is responsible for the sprawling, suburban character of much of the built environment in the United States.

Form-based codes are a variety of development regulation that departs significantly from the land use control approach of most zoning codes in the United States.

Local governments use zoning codes to define what can and cannot be built. While comprehensive plans and other kinds of plans lay out a vision for the future, zoning codes offer the legal tools to implement that vision.

Sometimes referred to as mother-in-law units or granny flats, Accessory Dwelling Units are a hallmark of contemporary planning as jurisdictions of all sizes and histories legalize the construction of these supplementary residential units.

Beginning with Japan in the 1960s, more and more countries are embracing high-speed trains to streamline domestic travel. Operating at speeds often in excess of 160 mph, high-speed rail networks are now well-developed across Europe and, more recently, in China.

The comprehensive plan, sometimes also referred to as a master plan or a general plan, is the foundational document of long-term planning and zoning in the United States.

Long an urban norm, mixed-use neighborhoods fell out of favor in the United States in the automobile age as single-use zoning became common. These days, mixed-use development is back in vogue, but implementation remains a challenge.

One of the most controversial powers defined by the Bill of Rights, eminent domain is the term used to describe the government's power to seize private property for public use.

Key to urban revitalization or harbinger of gentrification—whichever way you look at it, adaptive reuse has been a key development type in the transformation of U.S. cities throughout the 21st century.

State preemption and local control are two of the most controversial and contested concepts in land use. Understanding when and where one or the other takes precedence is key to understanding the politics and governance of planning.

State preemption and local control are two of the most controversial and contested concepts in land use. Understanding when and where each one takes precedence is key to understanding the politics and governance of planning.

Transportation and land use are deeply connected, but decades of planning and development policy ignored the consequences of only paying attention to one side of the equation. Transit oriented development takes a more holistic approach.