As President Bush reports advances on his campaign promise to spend nearly $5 billion on upgrading national parks, critics point out exaggerations and his poor environmental record.
President Bush offered "a progress report on his campaign promise to spend nearly $5 billion on upgrading national parks." The announcement was made at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Southern California, where he "promoted his administration's five-year campaign to spruce up the nation's national park system....But critics said the presidential appearance only underscored what they called Bush's abysmal record on the environment, as well as the 'misleading' nature of his effort to address a multibillion-dollar maintenance backlog in the parks....During his presidential campaign, Bush promised to eliminate within five years the National Park Service's $4.9 billion maintenance and repair backlog." According to the National Parks Conservation Association,"the administration had devoted just $370 million in new funds toward the backlog over the past three years."
Thanks to Connie Chung
FULL STORY: Bush Reports Advances in National Parks

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

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

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions