Florida's plans to purchase nearly 300 square miles of land for Everglades restoration may face some significant challenges, according to skeptics.
"Even as most environmentalists here continue to cheer about the acquisition, skeptics have identified complications that they fear will keep the Everglades from being saved. The state, say some hydrologists, federal officials and environmentalists, has bet a huge sum on oft-fertilized farmland that could take at least a decade and billions of dollars to rehabilitate."
"In short, a rescue plan with more land faces more of the same limitations that have undermined Everglades restoration efforts since the '80s: too much human impact and too little money."
"The most immediate concerns center on geography, pollution and cost."
"State officials have described the property, now owned by United States Sugar, as a "missing link" between Lake Okeechobee and Everglades National Park, but maps of the area make it look more like the video game Tetris. To create a continuous water flow south, state officials have said they would swap land with Florida Crystals, a major sugar producer in the area."
FULL STORY: Possible Flaws in State Plan to Rescue the Everglades
Everglades Restoration To Receive $1.1 Billion in Federal Funds
An 'unprecedented' investment of more than one billion dollars will go toward efforts to restore and conserve the fragile and troubled South Florida ecosystem.
Baltimore Plans 'Floating Wetlands' to Revitalize Inner Harbor
The National Aquarium wants to recreate the tidal marshes that once lined the city's waterfront.
Miami-Dade Wants to Add 13 Miles to the Dolphin Expressway
The extended tollway would cut beyond the Urban Growth Boundary into the Everglades.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
EV Infrastructure Booming in Suburbs, Cities Lag Behind
A lack of access to charging infrastructure is holding back EV adoption in many US cities.
Seattle Road Safety Advocates Say Transportation Levy Perpetuates Car-Centric Status Quo
Critics of a proposed $1.3 billion transportation levy say the package isn’t enough to keep up with inflation and rising costs and fails to support a shift away from car-oriented infrastructure.
Appeals Court: California Emissions Standards Upheld
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, the nation's two most powerful environmental regulatory agencies, won an important round in federal court last week. But the emissions standards battle may not be over.
Barrett Planning Group LLC
City of Cleburne
KTUA Planning and Landscape Architecture
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
City of Laramie, Wyoming
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.
