Land Matters

William Fischel, economist and Dartmouth professor emeritus known for work on land use and zoning, explains how zoning rules arrived and evolved over a century. He traces roots from German planning and health concerns to cars reshaping neighborhoods. He discusses legal limits, how homeowners defend zoning, environmental delays, and signs that policy is beginning to loosen.

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.

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.

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.

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 housing to help address a stubborn affordability crisis.

Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver, who has a background in education and politics, discusses pressing urban issues as his city grows. He details innovative strategies for tackling housing affordability, including reducing construction costs and increasing public investment. The conversation also covers the vital connection between housing and homelessness, as well as ambitious climate action initiatives aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. Furthermore, Johnston emphasizes the importance of transit-oriented development in optimizing the city's extensive light rail network.

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.

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, nightlife, and the vagaries of community engagement.

Rob Walker, author of City Tech: 20 Apps, Ideas, and Innovators Changing the Urban Landscape, 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.

Community Land Trusts, where homebuyers purchase homes but not the land underneath, is an affordable housing solution that deserves more attention, say the authors of a new report that reveals the critical ingredients for success.