A thriving natural environment creates opportunity for private developers and local economies, an economist argues.

In the New York Times, economics professor and former Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee urges the Trump administration to embrace environmental conservation as an economic growth strategy. Environmental regulation can benefit the private sector while helping to revitalize struggling rural towns, he argues.
"Accessible public lands and vibrant wildlife bring people to small towns and rural areas," Goolsbee writes. "They attract tourists and give residents a reason to stay, and give an enormous boost to the private sector in the very places the administration is trying to help." In 2017, visitors spent $50 billion on recreation in federal lands.
Moreover, "cleaning up pollution or protecting public spaces can unlock value in the private sector and allow it to grow." Without regulation and cleanup efforts on the Chicago River, for example, "billions of dollars of economic value would never have existed"—including the Trump Hotel and Tower.
FULL STORY: Preserving the Wealth That Conservation Built

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.

Four Reasons Urban Planners Can’t Ignore AI
It’s no longer a question of whether AI will shape planning, but how. That how is up to us.

Bend, Deschutes County Move to Restrict Major Homeless Encampment
City and county officials are closing off portions of an area known as Juniper Ridge where many unhoused residents find shelter, hoping to direct people to housing and supportive services.

High Housing Costs Driving Down Transit Ridership in LA
When neighborhoods gentrify and displace lower-income residents, transit ridership suffers, new research shows.

Iowa Legalizes Accessory Dwelling Units
A new law will allow property owners to build ADUs on single-family lots starting on July 1.
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City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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