Great Plains

One man, wearing a mask, walks down an otherwise empty 16th St in Denver.

COVID: Colorado Activates Partial Crisis Standards of Care

In a sign that the pandemic is far from over, Colorado reactivated its crisis standards of care for staffing of health care systems on Nov. 9 as infections increased modestly nationwide. Gov. Polis made all vaccinated adults eligible for a booster.

November 14, 2021 - Bloomberg Prognosis

Piecing Together a Central Park for the Entire United States

The American Prairie Foundation is piecing together 500,000 acres of privately owned land across the Great Plains to join with three million acres of public land in forming one of the world’s largest wildlife reserves.

June 5, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Look to the Old Confederacy, not the Coasts, for America's Economic Revival

Accounting for 45% of America's land mass and 30% of its population, the Great Plains, the Intermountain West, the Gulf states, and the Southeastern industrial belt are key to a national revival, says a new report from the Manhattan Institute.

February 26, 2013 - New Geography

Biofuel Boom Threatens Life on the Plains

A new study finds that high commodity prices and a biofuels rush have led to rates of grassland loss in America's northern Plains “comparable to deforestation rates in Brazil, Malaysia, and Indonesia.” Brad Plumer discusses the impacts.

February 22, 2013 - The Washington Post

A Tide of Prosperity Inundates the Great Plains

A vast expanse of prairies and grasslands, the Great Plains have long been considered a barren wasteland with little potential for growth. A new report by Joel Kotkin, Praxis Strategy Group, and Kevin Mulligan of Texas Tech claims otherwise.

October 25, 2012 - New Geography

Parts of U.S. at 'Extreme' Risk of Drying Out

A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that many parts of the Great Plains and the Southwest U.S. are facing severe water shortages in the near future.

July 28, 2010 - National Geographic

A New National Park for Kansas?

Kansas senatorial candidate Charles Schollenberger calls for the creation of a Great Plains National Park on low-production farmland in order to attract tourism to support suffering local economies.

July 21, 2010 - The Topeka Capital-Journal

Rewilding the West

Eco-tourism in North Dakota? It's more likely than you may think, as conservationists, travel agents, and big landowners turn the dwindling population of the Great Plains into an asset.

June 10, 2008 - The New York Times

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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.