The city plans to use a different approach to tackle its longstanding flood problems.

Beau Evans reports on efforts in New Orleans to address flood threats by shifting away from pumping water to retaining it. “Doing so would ease the burden placed on pumps and underground drainage pipes during storms, and more water stored over time would help replenish the city's groundwater levels to counteract the sinking effects of subsidence,” says Evans.
The 2013 Urban Water Plan described the many challenges New Orleans faces in dealing with stormwater. “Perhaps more concisely than any other document, it dissects the combined influences of the city's low-lying topography, subsidence, impervious surfaces and the constant threat of heavy rains that often overwhelm the drainage system,” reports Evans.
Evans says the city has been slow in getting projects off the ground that use the retention-hold approach, with a backlog of about $250 million in projects when Mayor LaToya Cantrell came on board in the spring. A series of green infrastructure projects to contain water are planned for the next several months, including construction of retention ponds, rain gardens, and permeable pavement.
FULL STORY: New Orleans dips its toes into living with water

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.

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

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

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
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