Statistics provided by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commisison (SEWRPC) at the request of the American Civil Liberties Union show that SEWRPC's technical advisory committees are 98% white.
Writing in Madison's daily Capital Times, Milwaukee writer and environmental policy consultant James Rowen says SEWPRC deserves "a failing grade for representing the entire region's taxpayers, since Milwaukee is now a 'minority-majority city' and most of the state's minority citizens live in the seven-county SEWRPC region (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee, Walworth, Racine and Kenosha).
The lack of racial and ethnic minorities on SEWRPC committees, says Rowen, is "why you can go to one of these meetings, as I do, and find a setting that resembles what the Mississippi State Highway Commission probably looked like in 1964, before federal civil rights legislation purportedly made such lopsided, lily-white, publicly financed governmental decision-making illegal."
He concludes, "It would be a real public service if opinion-makers in government and media changed the focus of the public debate in Milwaukee, from the racial makeup of crime blotters to the racial composition of committees and commissions, and the inclusivity of their recommendations."
FULL STORY: Opinion: Milwaukee Gets it Wrong on Race
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie