Leader in a Land of Extremes
Land Matters
The latest installment of the Mayor’s Desk interview series features Fairbanks, Alaska Mayor Mindy O’Neall, who reflects on the special challenges of governing in a “land of extremes,” on matters ranging from affordable housing to climate change.
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Zoning and its Discontents
Land Matters
Zoning got constitutional blessing 100 years ago in the Supreme Court case Euclid versus Ambler Realty. Dartmouth College economist Bill Fischel explains how the rules guiding development came to be – and are now being blamed for a shortage of affordable housing.
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From AI to the Future of Work: Trends in Planning
Land Matters
Urban planners are trying to figure out the future just like everybody else. The 2026 Trend Report for Planners looks at the top issues—from artificial intelligence to the future of work—that planning professionals must keep an eye on as they help guide growth in the world’s cities and towns.
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The Wild West of Data Centers
Land Matters
The oftentimes fast-tracked construction of data centers across the US has raised concerns about land use and water and energy consumption, as communities try to balance the promise of jobs and economic activity with long-term sustainability.
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Building Vibrant Communities
Land Matters
At a particularly challenging time to work in government, the Lincoln Vibrant Communities fellows program, an initiative of Claremont Lincoln University and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, builds capacity and broadens horizons for local leaders and innovators.
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Coming to Terms with Density
Land Matters
A conversation all about density, on the occasion of the return of an online resource, Visualizing Density, at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy website. Density is in the spotlight as cities and towns seek to build more multifamily housingto help address a stubborn affordability crisis.
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In Denver, Mike Johnston Confronts Success
Land Matters
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, in an interview for the Mayor’s Desk series, details work on housing affordability, homelessness, and other growing pains amid the city’s increasing popularity. Solutions include reducing building costs, incentivizing new construction, and
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New Era for New Urbanism
Land Matters
Demand for walkable urbanism is stronger than ever, according to Mallory Baches, president of the Congress for the New Urbanism, an organization that has been promoting compact, mixed-use, transit-oriented development for more than three decades.
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Perpetuating the Providence Renaissance
Land Matters
At the helm in Providence,Rhode Island after 30 years of steady revitalization, Mayor Brett Smiley hopes to keep up the momentum while also addressing affordability and fiscal challenges. The latest municipal leader to be interviewed in the Mayor’s Desk series, he also talks bike lanes, , and the vagaries of community engagement.
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Talking Tech for Cities
Land Matters
Rob Walker, author of , reflects on how artificial intelligence could transform urban planning, along with other advances in technology that are poised to improve quality of life in cities.
info_outlineThe job of the urban planner is getting tougher these days, as cities confront climate change and a shortage of affordable housing, amid increasingly divided constituencies. Veteran journalist Josh Stephens shares insights from his interviews for the book Planners Across America.