New Jersey's long-awaited "State Strategic Plan", which will serve as a master plan for land development throughout the state, and was due for final approval this week, will have to be rethought in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
Salvador Rizzo reports that just as it was about to go before the state's Planning Commission for final approval, after more than a year of development, Gov. Chris Christie's "State Strategic Plan" has been "sent back to the drawing board."
"At a news conference today," writes Rizzo, "Christie said the long-awaited plan,
which is intended to replace the guidelines established in 2001, would
take up to six more months to update and complete."
"It made sense for us to put it off and to reconsider it in light of
some of the new challenges that have been presented by the storm and the
aftermath of the storm," the governor said.
Although a revised version of the plan was released last weekend, it has already come in for criticism from Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "[He] and others have said Christie's plan would weaken measures to
protect land and clean water and loosen regulations for developers."
"The plan promotes development in the wrong places and does nothing
to protect people in the future from flooding, storm surges, sea level
rise, and other consequences of climate change," Tittel said. "We are
glad the plan was held today and hope significant changes are made."
FULL STORY: Hurricane Sandy causes N.J. to remake its master plan for land development
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.