New York's busy airspace can be an inescapable nightmare for residents who experience noise pollution on a daily basis.

Concerned about the negative impacts of the noise and pollution caused by helicopter travel in and around New York City, a Brooklyn council member is demanding an investigation into the pros and cons of allowing so much helicopter traffic in the city's airspace. "Council Member Brad Lander put in a preliminary legislative request for such a "'cost-benefit' study after the legislature’s Economic Development Committee took up a bill this week to consider limiting helicopter companies’ use of city-owned heliports to slightly lower-noise vehicles." Gersh Kuntzman reports that according to Landers, the city is putting the interests of "tourists and well-heeled travelers" ahead of residents who deal with the noise on a daily basis.
At a recent hearing, the Economic Development Committee stated that the helicopter industry offers meager revenue for the city, providing only "a few dozen jobs and $2- to $3 million per year in revenue." Council Member Lander contends that "the quite significant human harm of helicopter noise and pollution has not been calculated." Lander suggests a "misery index" to gauge the amount of disruption and distress faced by New Yorkers due to noise and pollution. According to the city's 311 logs, "the number of complaints about tourist and commuter helicopters rose nearly 270 percent, from 840 complaints in 2017 to 3,094 complaints in 2019."
FULL STORY: Lander: City Must Study Whether the ‘Benefit’ of Helicopters Covers Their Egregious Health Costs

The Surprising Oil Tax in the Inflation Reduction Act
President Biden has made reducing gas prices paramount in his administration, so it was likely a surprise to hear a Republican senator last Sunday warn TV viewers that a revived and increased oil fee in the climate bill will increase their gas costs.

The Tide Has Turned Against Open Streets
Once a promising development for advocates pushing for a less car-centric future in cities, the open streets movement has ceded significant ground to cars since the height of the pandemic.

San Antonio Office Tower To Become Residential
With the building more than half vacant, the new owners of the Tower Life Building plan to convert the historic tower into residences that could include affordable housing.

Department of the Interior Forced to Intervene on the Colorado River
More questions than answers on the Colorado River this week as the federal government failed to deliver on threats to force Southwest states to cut back on water use.

Explaining Rent Inflation
The delayed effects of changes in rent costs make rent inflation a difficult figure to pin down.

Dallas Names 66-Mile Bike and Walking Trail
When complete, the newly named DFW Discovery Trail will incorporate 50 miles of existing trails into a regional ‘super highway.’
San Francisco County Transportation Authority
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Cohousing Association of the US
City of Crystal River
Sun City Center Community Association, Inc
City of Mesa
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.