Planning & Development

Updates on zoning, permits, building projects, and urban planning.

How to Find Palo Alto Planning and Parcel Information: A Resident’s Guide

| Civic How‑to Guides, Maps and Data, Planning & Development |

Navigating property records, zoning maps, and planning documents in Palo Alto can be daunting. This guide demystifies the process, showing you exactly where to find official parcel data, planning applications, and land-use regulations using city and county tools. Whether you’re researching a home project, checking zoning, or verifying property boundaries, you’ll learn the step-by-step methods and key terminology to access accurate, up-to-date information.

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The Color of Suburbia: A History of Housing Segregation in Palo Alto

| Civil Rights & Housing, Local History & Heritage, Planning & Development |

Palo Alto’s carefully cultivated image as a progressive, meritocratic community belies a century-long history of racial exclusion in housing. From restrictive covenants and federal redlining to exclusionary zoning and urban renewal, this article traces the deliberate policies and practices that segregated the city and shaped the racial geography of the mid-Peninsula, creating a legacy that persists in the region’s contemporary housing crisis.

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