Trump's promised "impenetrable" wall has proven to be anything but.

Writing in High Country News, Jonathan Thompson evaluates the failures of Trump's proposed border wall, a "boondoggle" that has cost millions of dollars, disrupted cross-border human and animal communities and migration patterns, and met with resistance from property owners all along the way.
Despite Trump's promise that the "impregnable" wall would span the full length of the U.S.-Mexico border, his administration managed to build about 450 miles of barrier, "none of which was concrete and all of which was demonstrably pregnable." Furthermore, evidence suggests that the hundreds of miles of barriers built under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush "did very little to stop undocumented migration, in part because at least two-thirds of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. arrived on visas and then overstayed them." Yet since 2017, close to $15 billion have been appropriated to border wall construction by Congress.
Immediately after his inauguration, President Biden halted further construction of the border wall through an executive order. "Now, many observers are urging him to go further and dismantle the barrier, as well as try to repair the damage done."
FULL STORY: Border barrier boondoggle

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie