Your Daily Urban Planning Briefing

Billings 2045 Draft Plan Open for Public Review

• The city of Billings, Montana, released its comprehensive Billings 2045 draft plan on April 11, 2026, outlining long-term strategies for zoning, transportation, housing, and parks. This blueprint, developed through extensive community engagement, is now open for public review and comment until May 31, 2026, and will guide the city's growth and infrastructure priorities for the next two decades.

  Nationaltoday

• In New York City, the City Planning Commission approved plans on April 12, 2026, for 175 Third Street, a nearly $1 billion mixed-use development in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The 27-story building, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), will span over 1 million square feet, yielding more than 1,000 units, with approximately 250 designated as affordable housing, and includes resiliency measures like an elevated structure and a sloped waterfront esplanade to absorb floodwaters.

  Newyorkyimby

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $115.8 million loan on April 11, 2026, to enhance environmentally sustainable and resilient urban services in Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) in Bangladesh. The Narayanganj Green and Resilient Urban Development Project aims to upgrade drinking water supply, modernize drainage systems, and expand green public spaces, benefiting at least 400,000 residents and strengthening institutional capacity.

  Adb

• Galveston's planning commission approved an amended version of the Discovery Sands lagoon development plan on April 12, 2026, for a sprawling 170-acre site. Notably, the approval included recommendations for the developer to incorporate a conservation area for wetlands and set a minimum for workforce housing units, reflecting a growing emphasis on environmental protection and social equity within large-scale recreational and residential projects.

  Houstonchronicle