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Eric Damian Kelly

Lighter Moments -- A Hardship Variance

Fri, 04/10/2009 - 11:47

DISCLAIMER:  This is a true story, but I do not pretend that it has great social significance.  Just one of those many "lighter moments" in a planning career.

I was in my home state of Colorado, at a zoning board meeting.  I do not recall why I was there (it must have worked out satisfactorily, or I would remember).  I do remember one case that the board heard, however. 

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Friday Funny: Building the Nation Out of the Crisis

This piece from The Onion presents the incredibly simple solution to the nation's economic troubles: build more houses.
3 April 2009 - 2:00pm
The Onion

White House Urban Affairs Agenda Based on Late-Night Sim City Game

It has been revealed that the White House's Urban Affairs Agenda is entirely based on a late-night round of the computer game "Sim City", played by President Barack Obama and Urban Affairs Secretary Adolfo Carrion.
1 April 2009 - 2:00pm
Planetizen April 1st Edition

Closed Wal-Mart Re-Used for New Wal-Mart

The economic recession has caused a shakedown in the retail sector, and retail powerhouse Wal-Mart has been forced to close many outlets. One city has found an innovative solution to the empty big box building left behind: put in a new Wal-Mart.
1 April 2009 - 1:00pm
Planetizen April 1st Edition

One Acronym Too Many

While completing a DEIR for the CCC on a BRT for a TND TOD, environmental planner Linda Gorman, MURP, AICP contracted acronym poisoning and had to be rushed to the hospital.
1 April 2009 - 12:00pm
Planetizen April 1st Edition

High Speed Rail Funding Dedicated Solely to Disneyland Monorail Improvements

The entire $8 billion set aside in the federal stimulus plan for high speed rail has been dedicated towards improvements on the Disneyland Monorail, a 2.5-mile train system in Anaheim, California.
1 April 2009 - 11:00am
Planetizen April 1st Edition

Hardcore New Urbanist Can't Stop Mixing Uses

Bradley Archer, a long-time champion of New Urbanist principles, spends nearly every waking hour finding a way to get two, maybe three, uses out of everything.
1 April 2009 - 10:00am
Planetizen April 1st Edition

Foreclosed Homes To Be Counted As Race in 2010 Census

Officials at the U.S. Census Bureau announced today that foreclosed homes had seen such an increase in numbers over the past two years that they would be included as an official race in the upcoming 2010 Census.
1 April 2009 - 9:00am
Planetizen April 1st Edition

City Officials Favor 'Stupid Growth'

Officials in Shelbyville, Kentucky are officially adopting a citywide "Stupid Growth" policy. The city plans to release the new Shelbyville Stupid Growth General Plan, which emphasizes "building whatever."
1 April 2009 - 8:00am
Planetizen April 1st Edition

Godzilla Named Tokyo Planning Director, Announces Broad Urban Renewal Plan

Legendary gigantic lizard monster Godzilla has been named planning director for the city of Tokyo. Shortly after his appointment, Mr. Zilla revealed his urban renewal program by smashing through buildings and stomping across entire city blocks.
1 April 2009 - 6:00am
Planetizen April 1st Edition
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Resident Demands 'Everything in My Back Yard'

The public comment period at a recent planning commission meeting in Wheaton, Illinois was commandeered by resident Joann Davies, who aggressively demanded that a variety of land uses be approved in her neighborhood.
1 April 2009 - 5:00am
Planetizen April 1st Edition

Friday Funny: Historic, or Just Plain Lewd?

Hoare Road, East Breast, and North Piddle are actual place names that get a chuckle out of most people. But when it comes to the more "aesthetically unsuitable" names, feelings are divided.
30 January 2009 - 2:00pm
The New York Times

Friday Funny: Traffic Engineers Accommodate Cell Phone Users

In a new twist of "managed lanes", this comic looks at ways to accommodate cell phone users so as not to affect those not using their cells.
23 January 2009 - 1:00pm
Go Comics

One Woman's Confession: "I Hate Suburbia"

Turning the page back to 1965, a woman confesses in Ladys Circle Magazine that she hates the suburbs. 'It isn't just monotony; it's stagnation!', she exclaims.
10 January 2009 - 11:00am
Lady's Circle (Posted by ModernMechanix.com)

Miami's Highway Shoe Mystery Remains Unsolved

Was it a walkability protest, political demonstration, or just an accident? Regardless, the thousands of used shoes that covered Miami's Palmetto Expressway last week, delaying traffic for hours, are now on their way to Haiti.
7 January 2009 - 2:00pm
Miami Herald

Friday Funny: Living with Parents as a Housing Strategy

The Onion reports on an "area man" whose decision to live in his parents' basement looks like a wise move.
26 December 2008 - 1:00pm
The Onion
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Justin Steinmann

Be Afraid of "Real Nice"

Tue, 12/16/2008 - 11:08

You have heard it, or seen it, before. A developer comes in for a presubmittal meeting, and he is excited. He has the best project your city has ever seen, and, when all is said and done, he insists that the city will never be the same. And he’s right.

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What's In A Name Anyway?

A lot, according to columnist Linda Robertson who makes the case for renaming the nation's most prized stadia. After all, she argues, many of them bear the name of the economy's most troubled corporations bailed out by Terry taxpayer.
13 December 2008 - 7:00am
Miami Herald

The Future Isn't What It Used To Be

P.J. O'Rourke tours Walt Disney's 'Innoventions Dream Home', and concludes that we've descended into a deeply unimaginative period in history. The dream home is the successor to 1957's House of the Future, built entirely of plastic.
12 December 2008 - 5:00am
The Atlantic

City Tackles Coyotes

Austin officials are wrestling with how to confront coyotes encroaching on suburban and urban neighborhoods.
4 December 2008 - 1:00pm
News 8 Austin
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