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The 3 Most Common Community Engagement Mistakes

Planners, like any other professionals, live in a kind of bubble. Those charged with dealing with the public run the risk of expecting too much from residents as they design community engagement activities. Here are some of the most common mistakes.

July 5 - Dave Biggs

urban park

Is New York Distributing Its Public Plazas Equally?

An analysis of the geographic distribution of New York's new public plazas sought to determine if the program was meeting one of its stated goals: providing access to public plazas for low- and moderate-income households.

July 5 - Placemeter

Getting to Know the Bike Lanes of Detroit

Where they are, what they're like, and what they mean for the city.

July 5 - WDET

Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline

A Great Lakes Oil Spill Waiting to Happen

Operated by Canadian oil giant Enbridge, Line 5 is an underwater pipeline running beneath the Mackinac Straits, which connect Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas. A rupture in the aging pipes could mean catastrophe.

July 5 - Pacific Standard

San Antonio City Hall

San Antonio Wants a Housing Bond, but its Charter Won't Make it Easy

San Antonio provides a case study of the difficult politics of funding affordable housing measures.

July 5 - San Antonio Express News


Bikeshare

Toward an Equitable Bikeshare System

The Better Bike Share Conference convened in Philadelphia on June 22-24, 2016. Attendees gathered to find solutions for challenges of equity, social justice, and mobility in the country's emerging bikeshare infrastructure.

July 5 - Better Bike Share Partnership

4th of July Parade

The Biggest Stories from Five Years of Independence Days

Here's what the Planetizen audience was reading on the July 4ths of yesteryear.

July 4 - Planetizen


Meter Maid

Pesky Parking Tickets? There's an App for That

An intrepid student has created a simple chatbot program that helps people get out of parking tickets.

July 4 - Ars Technica

Philadelphia Street

More Residents and Workers Using Fewer Parking Spaces in Philly's Center City

The findings of a report on changes occurring in Philadelphia Center City finds more residents and workers walking, biking, and taking transit. (Thankfully, they aren't all looking for parking every day.)

July 4 - PlanPhilly

Contraflow

Washington, D.C. Has New Contraflow Bike Lanes

Sometimes small additions can make a big difference when it comes to bike infrastructure.

July 4 - Greater Greater Washington

Los Angeles Homeless

Los Angeles Voters to Consider $1.2 Billion Property Tax Bond for Homeless Housing

Los Angeles voters will be asked to approve a new property tax on residential and commercial properties to pay for a $1.2 billion to improve the city's worsening homelessness problem.

July 4 - Los Angeles Daily News

Long-Awaited Maryland Bridge Open to Cyclists

Two axles is two axles, doesn't matter whether the vehicle is motorized or not. However, cyclists will be restricted as to when they can cross the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge (US 40) over the Susquehanna River when it opens to cyclists July 1.

July 3 - Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) News Release

Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale's South Beach Still Trying to Exit the 1970s

Most people agree that Fort Lauderdale's "South Beach" is in need of contemporary development investment, but so far it's been hard to deliver on any of the big ideas proposed for the area.

July 3 - Sun Sentinal

TriMet Portland

Regional Light-Rail Connection to Portland Hinges on Suburban Vote

The city of Tigard could make or break the proposed Southwest Corridor light rail project with a vote this November.

July 3 - The Oregonian

Port of Oakland

Environmental Justice Wins With Coal Ban in Oakland

The City Council in Oakland, California took its first, substantive steps toward banning the handling and storage of coal in the city.

July 3 - NBC Bay Area

Connecticut Among States Competing for Federal Grants to Study Mileage Fees

Connecticut state legislators may not like vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) fees, but that hasn't stopped the state Department of Transportation from joining other states in applying for $2.1 million from the U.S. DOT to study the road user fee.

July 3 - The Hartford Courant

God Rides BART

Colorado Springs Transit Agency in Hot Water for Censoring Religious Advertisements

This might be a cautionary tale for some other transit agencies out there.

July 2 - The Gazette

Buffalo Bayou Park

Final Advice for the Houston Bike Plan as it Nears the Finish Line

Bike advocates are hoping that the Houston Bike Plan can achieve full council approval in July. The Houston Chronicle hopes the bike plan will be for everyone (not just hipsters).

July 2 - Houston Chronicle

Tualatin River Greenway

A Walk Through History on the New Stretch of the Tualatin River Greenway

Some things are worth waiting for, including the Tualatin River Greenway Bicycle and Pedestrian Shared Use Path.

July 2 - The Oregonian

Lunada Bay

'Surfer Gang' Beach Fort Causes Problems

A rowdy collection of Palos Verdes surfers, some of them middle-aged, will resort to criminal tactics to keep outsiders away from their favorite spot. They've even built a fort, and officials are having trouble getting rid of it.

July 2 - Los Angeles Times

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.