A new interactive research tool will make it easier for communities to build sustainability into their urban development plans.
Camelia Williams shares news of a new platform created by the Financing Sustainable Cities Initiative (FSCI) "that guides users through the process of identifying financial solutions that will support sustainable projects to improve the quality of life for their residents."
FSCI worked with researchers from the World Resources Institute Ross Center to invent a new way for presenting easy to navigate information. "The result is a beautiful, clear and simple interactive guide to each of the steps that lead to successful, sustainable solutions," according to Williams.
The tool resembles a circular tree "that shows the full picture, yet moves and adapts as each element is selected."
As for what the user will find, "topics such as low- and zero-emission bus fleets and bike-sharing systems, among others, providing examples of what other cities have done."
FULL STORY: Interactive design to help city leaders bring ideas to reality.

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions