One of the most advanced things UrbanForm does
Is give you the MaxBuild for any site. This is NOT just the base zone FAR multiplied by the lot area. This is because we've found that...
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Quang Truong
Mar 13, 20233 min read
When converting office to residential,
Zoning is not usually a constraint. But math and geometry are. The above is a screenshot of UrbanForm's Filter function, filtering for...
Quang Truong
Feb 27, 20236 min read
By any standard, Portland is not looking good.
Compared to its peer cities or its own past performance, Portland is building significantly less housing. Based on our recent analysis,...
Quang Truong
Feb 21, 20232 min read
"We're getting worse at construction"
From Ezra Klein's recent piece in the NYTimes: "Here's something odd: we're getting worse at construction." This rings true to me. Spend...
Quang Truong
Feb 10, 20231 min read
Contours? Topography? Check!
We often say that zoning is the single biggest non-natural factor in assessing development and land value. Natural factors, like...
Quang Truong
Feb 7, 20231 min read
Out now: Guide to Seattle Zoning
Two of our goals for this New Year included creating more in-depth pieces about zoning and being more transparent about UrbanForm's...
Quang Truong
Feb 6, 20231 min read
Zoning has been abolished?
An advisor once asked me, if zoning was abolished, would UrbanForm cease to exist? The answer was: Yes. Absolutely yes it would. Much...
Quang Truong
Jan 24, 20232 min read
The most common errors in zoning
Every once in a while, when we chat with an expert in zoning, we love asking the question: what do you think is the most common error...
Quang Truong
Jan 17, 20232 min read
5 kinds of posts for the New Year
From the start, we knew one of the biggest hurdles for UrbanForm would be building trust. How could software make the process of...
Quang Truong
Jan 12, 20234 min read
Determining Scenic Resource Setbacks in Portland
We'd like to share with you the process used for determining one specific setback in the zoning rules for the City of Portland. This...
Quang Truong
Jan 9, 20232 min read
How do I find my zoning?
Sometimes you finish writing something and you say to yourself, "Wow, I'm really glad this exists." Sadly, this is not one of those...
Quang Truong
Jan 3, 20231 min read
Happy 2023!
Happy New Year to everyone! We hope everyone has had a peaceful, restful, and reinvigorating holiday season. We're very excited for the...
Quang Truong
Dec 21, 20221 min read
We are a PBJ Startup to Watch!
UrbanForm was recently featured in Portland Business Journal's year end roundup of notable startups! Portland Inno - 13 Portland startups...
Quang Truong
Dec 7, 20222 min read
Dear ChatGPT,
What is the best way to change the zoning to improve buildings and cities? Per OpenAI's ChatGPT: "It is difficult to say what the best...
Quang Truong
Nov 22, 20225 min read
A Brief Intro to Zoning, Part 3
What is zoning, exactly? Why did it become what it is? Why is it important? Why is it so complex? How do we deal with it today? And how...
Quang Truong
Nov 20, 20224 min read
A Brief Intro to Zoning, Part 2
What is zoning, exactly? Why did it become what it is? Why is it important? Why is it so complex? How do we deal with it today? And how...
Quang Truong
Nov 18, 20224 min read
What is zoning? A Brief Intro, Part 1
UrbanForm’s Brief Introduction to Zoning What is zoning, exactly? Why did it become what it is? Why is it important? Why is it so...
Quang Truong
Nov 8, 20221 min read
Yes or no?
For those of you who don't know much about zoning, it's basically the building and construction equivalent of this parking sign. The...
Quang Truong
Nov 1, 20221 min read
API? NBD!
Some of you have asked for an UrbanForm API to directly access the advanced zoning data that UrbanForm has analyzed and gathered in our...
Quang Truong
Oct 20, 20221 min read
UrbanForm press: Portland Business Journal
UrbanForm was recently featured in the Portland Business Journal, detailing our recent launch of San Diego, acceptance into Esri's...
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