The price tag for the de Blasio administration’s stormwater and sea-level rise plan rose $1.3 billion after some costly additions. Now some city council members are bringing in a second group to examine the plan.

Flooding on the Lower East Side of Manhattan would be very costly for the city of New York, and how much the city should spend to prepare for floods is a matter of debate. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration had revised the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project to speed up construction time and lift East Riverside Park. "The revision raised the estimated price from $760 million to $1.3 billion," according to reporting from Ryan Deffenbaugh.
Pushback from the Manhattan officials led to the decision to have the plan reviewed. "Hans Gehrels of the Dutch environmental group Deltares has already begun a review of the project, which would add a flood barrier up to 13 feet high along a roughly 2.5 mile stretch of coastline between Montgomery and East 25th streets," Deffenbaugh writes. The review will cost the city $20,000 and will be delivered by September 23.
FULL STORY: Officials seek second opinion on Lower East Side flood barrier

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

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)