Anthony Flint says that we have a lot of work ahead of us to retrofit America for the next century, from replacing water heaters to replacing old government structures with new, more regional ones.
"At the local level, a more regional approach is necessary to marry land use and transportation, for example. 'How else would we govern, except the way that we have settled?' asks Portland Metro councilor Robert Liberty in the recently released documentary film, Portland: Quest for the Livable City.
But it is the federal government that truly needs a version 2.0, to meet the energy, climate, transportation, and economic development challenges of the 21st century. After a few weeks on the job, Xavier de Sousa Briggs, associate director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, is astonished at how Washington's agencies were 'invented for 1977.'
'We cannot partner [with cities] better unless we're more integrated in how we function,' Briggs said [...]"
FULL STORY: A Government Retrofit: Federal Coordination
Regional Government Reform on the Ballot in Houston
If Proposition B passes, Houston and other populous areas could gain more voting power in the region’s metropolitan planning organization.
L.A. County's Regional Planning Commission Celebrates 100 Years of Service
The first planning commissioners were appointed by the Board of Supervisors in 1923, making the Regional Planning Commission the oldest county planning commission in the United States.
Vancouver Approves New Metro 2050 Regional Plan
The region around Vancouver in British Columbia has a new 30-year regional plan.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
