The city council voted to apply for a $1 million federal grant to study the potential benefits of building a park over downtown freeways.

An Atlanta highway cap could finally become a reality, writes John Green. "Recent actions by the Atlanta City Council and Georgia legislators could lend hope for greenspace advocates that downtown’s grandiose, highway-capping 'Stitch' proposal still has a pulse."
Despite popular support, "[i]n more recent years, Stitch studies, panelist conferences, and calls among stakeholders for launching fundraising and engineering efforts haven’t translated to a shovel’s worth of dirt being turned. But with a transportation infrastructure push afoot in Washington, D.C., the Stitch concept is showing signs of renewed interest—and possible viability." To move the project forward, "the Atlanta City Council voted to move forward in applying for a $1 million federal grant that would help fund a study for implementing the Stitch, which advocates say would effectively weave interstate-bisected parts of downtown back together." However, "that federal cash boost would be a far cry from the Stitch’s estimated cost of $300 million or more, per ADID’s ongoing analyses. "
"But ADID officials are optimistic for what the Stitch could mean for downtown: between $1.1 and $3.1 billion in value creation; up to $58 million in new revenue; and a boost in the city’s bonding capacity from $308 to $847 billion 'by increasing the value of existing properties and catalyzing the redevelopment of underutilized properties,' per the most recent summary." The city is weighing creating a 25-acre park that would cap the I-75 and I-85 freeways and "reconnect neighborhoods torn apart by the interstate."
FULL STORY: Downtown's highway-capping 'Stitch' project shows signs of life

Norman, Oklahoma Eliminates Parking Mandates
The city made a subtle, one-word change that frees up developers to build parking based on actual need and eliminates costly unnecessary parking.

Boston Transit Riders Report Safety Concerns
Almost three-quarters of current and former riders report feeling unsafe while using MBTA services.

Boston to Begin Zoning Code Update, Mayor Announces
It’s been nearly 60 years, but the city of Boston is finally ready to do a comprehensive rewrite of its zoning code.

California Air Regulators to Crack Down on Warehouses
Truck traffic to and from Southern California warehouses accounts for as much pollution as refineries, power plants, and other industrial polluters combined.

FEMA Climate Resilience Loans Target Small Communities
A new loan program reduces the bureaucratic hurdles to implementing small-scale climate adaptation projects.

D.C. Delays Bus Lane Enforcement
The program using cameras to ticket drivers who block bus lanes was scheduled to begin this week.
City of Stonecrest
City of Grand Junction Police Department
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Washington University
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
National Capital Planning Commission
City of Culver City
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.