Seeing a marked decline in the amount of bookstores in the traditional cultural center of Paris, the city began a program to actively lure them back.
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe argues that local stores like bookshops are what make his city's economy great, and that a slight intervention in the market should not be considered inappropriate.
"Concerned by a sharp decline in the number of bookshops in what Delanoë called "part of Paris's intellectual soul", the Paris authorities have facilitated their birth.
As part of a determinedly interventionist urban strategy, the city hall has commissioned town planners to scout for premises in the fifth arrondissement that would make suitable bookshops or small publishing houses and cultural venues. The aim: to reverse a worrying trend which from 2000 to 2008 saw the number of cherished librairies drop by 231 to 137."
FULL STORY: Paris's new planning strategy: bookshops in, textile wholesalers out

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.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
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