The Boston Globe examines the roll of inspectors and code violations at The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island, which killed 100.
"This willful violation of the fire code at The Station is among several findings of a two-month Globe investigation... Lenient or negligent oversight by fire inspectors was not uncommon in West Warwick... West Warwick officials had made it plain since March 2000, when the Derderians purchased the club, that their license depended on their ability to get along with a neighborhood of simple homes on a rise behind the nightclub, where a commercial district of strip malls, fast-food joints, and auto shops fades into suburbia. The neighbors wanted the club to lower the volume. The polyurethane packing foam the new owners installed on The Station's walls was meant to do just that."
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: Deception, missteps sparked a tragedy

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

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)