The City of Vancouver is moving forward with plans to re-zone downtown's Eastside neighborhood for extended height limits, but there are a growing number of voices speaking out against it, including planners.
Reporter Jeff Lee reports:
"Leading the list is a group including former mayor and premier Michael Harcourt and two of the city's best-known planners, Larry Beasley and Ray Spaxman, who question why the city appears determined to densify the area around the poorest neighbourhood in Canada in the absence of a local area plan.
On Wednesday, 29 university professors also signed a letter to Mayor Gregor Robertson and the Vision Vancouver-led council saying the plan to raise the allowable heights of buildings in the city's historic area, including Chinatown, will imperil the stock of affordable and low-income housing in the area."
Thanks to Steven Godfrey
FULL STORY: Highrise towers will damage Downtown Eastside, Mike Harcourt-led group says

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