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Their analysis found that "a surprising number of other zoning requirements have the potential to interfere with efforts to open more land to multifamily dwellings." These include public hearing requirements that can delay or derail projects, minimum parking requirements, height limits, lot coverage, floor area ratio requirements, and occupancy restrictions. As others have pointed out, upzoning alone doesn't guarantee new construction if demand doesn't exist or other restrictions make development too onerous and expensive.

https://www.planetizen.com/news/2022/01/116001-more-evidence-upzoning-alone-wont-boost-housing?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news-01312022&mc_cid=abc2240ea7&mc_eid=b9p0fICGm0

Responding to the rise in housing costs that has affected even remote corners of the world, New Zealand recently passed "sweeping zoning reform legislation" that encourages mid-density housing development. As Ryan Greenaway-McGrevy writes, these reforms provide some valuable lessons for other countries.

The island nation is mandating mid-density zoning requirements and transit-oriented development in an effort to increase housing affordability and encourage compact development.

https://www.planetizen.com/news/2022/01/116004-zoning-reform-lessons-new-zealand?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news-01312022&mc_cid=abc2240ea7&mc_eid=b9p0fICGm0

The citizen-driven plan that the city is considering now would create the largest car-free area in a city anywhere in the world.

See Fast Company article, 1/13/22

https://www.fastcompany.com/90711961/berlin-is-planning-a-car-free-area-larger-than-manhattan?partner=rss&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss&fbclid=IwAR0GcemgJ436m4G1RRlMwoGqPz8dVyq4IOv6clSDVJCVNrTVnY4Lf2m_iFA

Starting this fall, Consulting Planners of Mass. is excited to launch our new Planner of the Month spotlight series. We want to learn more about our members and the incredible work they are doing as private sector planners. Each month we will post an interview with a featured CPM member to share what they are up to, as well as some of their insights into the world of consulting planning.

It is our pleasure to present Jenn Goldson, AICP, as our Planner of the Month for October 2021. Jenn is the Founder and Managing Director of the consulting firm JM Goldson and winner of the 2020 APA-MA Comprehensive Planning Award. She sat down with CPM President Leonardi Aray and shared her experience as a certified community planner, as well as her desires for the planning profession. Watch the interview below or refer to the table of contents for a section that interests you.

Table of Contents

To learn more about Jenn's community planning book group, visit jmgoldson.com/book-group.

If you are interested in suggesting yourself or a fellow CPM member as a future Planner of the Month, please reach out to CPM President Leonardi Aray at leonardi@larayarchitects.com.

CPM member Carol Todreas notes that the retail sector is still in a mode of customer discovery. Consulting Planners can read Carol’s findings and examples at “The retail landscape: Ever-adapting” published on the New England Real Estate Journal.

Carol Todreas is a long-time member of Consulting Planners of Massachusetts and a principal at Todreas Hanley Associates, Cambridge, Mass.

The 2021 Neighborhood Symposium will bring together professionals from housing, public health, government and other fields for a series of in-depth conversations on topics of particular interest for Massachusetts' 26 Gateway Cities. 

This kickoff session, Healthy and Affordable Homes, starts at 10:00 a.m.

See full four-session symposium lineup and register at https://masshousing.com/programs-outreach/neighborhood-hub/symposium-2021 

Mark Favermann, urban designer, public artist, CPM member and designer of CPM's new logo, recently published a commentary on the visual branding of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Arts Fuse. In the article he discusses the design process of the Tokyo Olympics' official logo and supporting imagery, and comments on the largely uninspiring results. 

"Dull, flat, and boring, with no discernible personality, the Olympics 2020 graphics made no impact on anyone other than, perhaps, their creator/developers and maybe a (very) few members of the host committee." Favermann writes.

Favermann, who worked on the visual design of the 1996 Centennial Games in Atlanta, also reviews the history of Olympic graphic designs throughout the past century. He explains, "the 'Look of the Games' is seen to be a strategic part of Olympic planning," offering a view of the complex development process that involves commissioning an official logo, designing sports-specific images, creating supplemental signage for venues and streetscapes, and navigating local and group politics.

Read the full commentary on Arts Fuse. Mark Favermann is Associate Editor of The Arts Fuse and publishes articles regularly.

The City of Salem, Salem Preservation Partners and the Newport Restoration Foundation  are hosting a two-day workshop Sept. 13 and 14 on addressing climate change impacts to historic buildings, landscapes and neighborhoods.

This two-day workshop will include both in-person and live-streamed events. Keynote address by Erin Minnigan of the Preservation Society of Charleston on adaptation strategies used in Charlestown to protect its history and culture. See the program schedule at https://historyabovewater.org/2021-salem/ and sign up to attend in person (first come, first served) or virtually.  FREE.

Where: Morse Auditorium, Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem, or virtual.

Register:  https://historyabovewater.org/2021-salem/

To register:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsdOqsqTsoHNOYhs1ylc-5sXCmiVP0XJF3

Questions? Email us at communications@apa-ma.org  One CM Credit Available