TransitCenter published a new report on the emerging practices of public engagement at a time when large gatherings have been prohibited.
"COVID-19-related moratoriums on public gatherings have inevitably affected the public engagement process for transit projects. Transportation consultants and advocates are already adapting to keep rider-focused initiatives like bus network redesigns moving forward."
While "Public Engagement in the Era of COVID-19" by TransitCenter focuses on the work of transportation agencies, many of the lessons included in the report are applicable to the wider field of planning.
Examples from Miami and Dallas inform the insights and recommendations included. The possibility that the pandemic will usher in a new, more powerful, technologically-enabled form of democracy is voiced, as a note of hope for planning agencies challenged by the social distancing realities of the current world.
Read the full story: Public Engagement in the Era of COVID-19
Five Borough Bikeway Plan Released
The Regional Plan Association is calling on New York City to implement an ambitious plan to transform the city into a world class city for biking—for the benefit of the public health and economic realities of the pandemic and beyond.
Regulatory Considerations for Online Public Engagement: Ensuring the Viability of Projects
As online engagement becomes increasingly important during COVID-19, so does understanding compliance with legal requirements.
Biking Takes Off in Toronto
People in cities all over the world are choosing the bike as their preferred mode of transportation as the coronavirus shakes up work and travel patterns. Residents of the largest city in Canada are no exception.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority