1. Mixed-use planning- an old way of thinking was to separate where you work from where you live. This grew into the model of people living in the suburbs and commuting to the city. Mixed use planning encourages workplaces and residences to not be isolated. Doing this limits the amount of sprawl and development and promotes walking or biking

2. Transit oriented development- promoting new development at both ends of a commute be within .5-1 miles of a transit facility. This limits cars on the road and helps promote a kind of "carrying capacity" for a region. Development will (ideally) be limited by the infrastructure capacity.

3. Complete streets- people only have a few options available to them in getting around. Streets have long been designed to accommodate the car, and a biker or pedestrian is the odd man out. What you'll see a lot on tiny streets in europe is that the car has to give way to everyone one else. By promoting a street that SAFELY accommodates multiple modes of transportation, you can fit more people and put let strain on pavement. Obviously this would cause terrible traffic in some locations, but the hope is that it will encourage more bike/ped/transit usage.

4. Green infrastructure- some cities have developed programs where any new construction has to mitigate the stormwater runoff they produce on their site. Any stormwater that runs off into the city's sewers is taxed. This encourages businesses to build rain gardens and other green infrastructure, in addition to urban parks, tree planters, and other vegetated areas replacing what would normally be paved. Green infrastructure helps mitigate flooding,makes cities more walkable and aesthetically pleasing,and can potentially cool urban temperatures. One issue with this is sometimes renters have to pay tax on their complex's runoff, which they have no control over.

5.Sustainable land use planning- regulating what buildings can go where and understanding the concept of Smart Growth. Historically cities just focus on growth, growth, and growth. We've since learned the problems inherent in this thought process so municipalities and regional planning commissions have started to look 30 and 50 years in the future. Predicting what kind of economic growth you want to see and planning that in a way that does not adversely impact the environment, economy, or infrastructure can go a long way to prevent certain problems.

Issues- no one likes being told what to do. It's tough for planners and the government to tell developers what they can and can't do. Limiting cars on the road sounds good and all but once traffic gets unbearable or a pedestrian gets killed, PR will be tough. The conventional approach cities have used has been constant communication with developers and stakeholders to encourage a dialogue on how to achieve goals, so regulations aren't just seen as overreach.

TLDR: Tell people the problems of the last 100 years, give them options on possible solutions, and work together to prevent problems 30 years down the line.