Berkeley is the second city in Northern California to approve landmark zoning reforms so far in 2021.

The city of Berkeley, known for many decades as a hot bed of anti-development politics, last night undertook a major step in reforming its zoning code to create incentives for more residential development.
At a hearing that lasted into the evening, the Berkeley City Council approved an ordinance that eliminates parking requirements for residential properties citywide, with a few exceptions on hillside properties.
The City Council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance according to multiple sources in attendance at the hearing last night, including Councilmember Rigel Robinson. The vote marks a significant milestone for the city, which has a reputation for anti-development politics amidst sky-high real estate prices. A recent story about the "conservative" development politics in the city of San Francisco could very well have been written about the Berkeley of the relatively recent past, in addition to the more distant past. That reputation has begun to shift in more recent years, as new leadership has altered the development politics of the City Council. In 2019, the city decided to study zoning for new Missing Middle Housing, and the city was among the first to ban natural gas in new buildings.
An article by Patrick Siegman detailed the Berkeley parking reform ordinance before the City Council's vote. Siegman provides specific details about the ordinance, in addition to explaining the thinking behind parking requirement reform:
Reforms recommended by the Planning Commission would remove minimum parking requirements for all residential land uses, with the exception of some lots located on roadways less than 26 feet wide in hillside areas. The Planning Commission also recommends adopting maximum parking limits and instituting transportation demand management requirements for residential land uses.
The city of Berkeley's decision to eliminate parking requirements for residential properties follows just days after the city of Sacramento, located 90 miles to the northeast of Berkeley, approved landmark parking reforms while approving citywide zoning changes.
FULL STORY: Should Blind People in Berkeley Be Required to Buy Parking Spaces?

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
City of Santa Clarita
Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
City of Piedmont, CA
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.