"Last year the government spent less on the ministry of silly walks than it did on national defense."
"And now for something completely different: A Monty Python-inspired crosswalk in the middle of an East Texas town."
That's the lede from an article by Michael Merschel, who reports on the crosswalk located at main and Gilmer streets in Sulphur Springs. Texas.
The joke: "A pair of traffic signs featuring the silhouette of a slouching, high-stepping, bowler-wearing John Cleese figure doing a silly walk."
As Monty Python proved unequivocally, silly walks are funny, and the decision to add the signs to the crosswalks in Sulphur Springs is all in good fun. Merschel reports that Shane Shepard, former Sulphur Springs community development director, was inspired by a similar sign in Ørje, Norway.
The Silly Walks sign is not the only whimsical element to be found in Downtown Sulphur Springs, as detailed in the article.
Read the full story: What's this Monty Python sign doing in the middle of Sulphur Springs, Texas?
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.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
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.
City of Rosemead
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
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority