A new growth management law in Florida is both good news and bad news, says Jane Healy of the Orlando Sentinel.
"Florida's controversial new law to manage growth offers both the good and the bad - plus a chance for local elected officials to come to the rescue by taking things into their own hands.
The good: The new law, signed last week by Gov. Charlie Crist, actually has the right intentions. For the first time ever, developers will have economic and bureaucratic incentives to build in the urban areas and stay away from the rural ones. It has been far more expensive to build in urban areas because land costs more and, as a result, so do the roads that developers must provide.
The bad: If you thought the Florida Legislature couldn't leave well enough alone when it comes to managing growth, you're right once again. The law allows way too much land to be considered "urban." An area has to have a population of only 1,000 people per square mile to qualify for the benefits of the law. And those benefits are huge. They allow building to proceed even if the roads aren't in place to accommodate it. But an area that is truly urban has far more than 1,000 people per square mile; it has at least 7,000 people per square mile."
FULL STORY: New growth law offers big possibilities, and big dangers

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Detroit Says Problems With Property Tax Assessments are Fixed. Advocates Disagree.
With higher-valued properties under assessed and lower-valued properties over assessed, advocates say there's still a problem with Detroit's property tax system.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.
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