This summer, the seashore town of Wildwood is charging a fee for people with the right cars to park in a very convenient location.
The start of summer, writes Nick Corsaniti in The New York Times, is also the start of "the perpetual battle over beach access in New Jersey, where towns along the 127-mile coast regulate parking spaces, meter rates, beach access points and, most contentiously, beach tag prices."
The town of Wildwood, in a predictably controversial effort to raise revenue and draw more visitors, has built a tunnel under its boardwalk for cars.
Officials are using their vast wealth of sandy expanse to welcome any four-wheel-drive vehicles (not to be confused with all-wheel-drive, which will get stuck in the sand) to park on the newly accessible beach for $10 a day or $20 during special events like concerts. Nearby private lots can charge anywhere from $15 to as much as $30 on holiday weekends.
Corsaniti also reports on several other beach access controversies, including a town that just starting charging to park and a lawsuit over restricting access to certain motorized vehicles.
Read the full story: A New Jersey Town Actually Adds Beach Parking. And It’s on the Beach.
Who is allowed to walk on the beach? It depends on where you live
Debate over who has the right to access beaches has sparked a slew of legal cases.
Reimagining Marina del Rey
Los Angeles County is conducting a community needs assessment and planning effort to re-envision and remove barriers to accessing Marina del Rey as a vibrant waterfront destination for all.
The Inequities of Beach Access
Over 80% of Californians live within an hour’s drive of a beach, but that does not mean that everyone has easy access to beaches.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
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The Pocatello Development Authority