One of Bob Filner's better ideas during his short time as mayor was to establish a Civic and Urban Initiatives program, a think tank to spur innovation and civic engagement. Thankfully this program will outlive Filner's disgraceful departure.
"Former Mayor Bob Filner’s formal push to spur civic innovation endures despite the scandal that ended his mayoral tenure," reports Lisa Halverstadt. The program, tweaked and renamed the Civic Innovation Lab, will be operated by Planning Director Bill Fulton in consultation with UC San Diego professors Teddy Cruz and Fonna Forman.
"Fulton wants to start with smaller moves first. For example, he said, the city might experiment with new ways to approach urban gardening or street striping, or look at ways to add parklets in more San Diego neighborhoods," notes Halverstadt.
“In general, (these are) little experimental things, which could make a big difference in the way neighborhoods look and feel and operate,” Fulton said.
FULL STORY: Filner’s Incubator Lives On
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.