A team at the University of Minnesota develops innovative maps to stimulate conversation about urban planning.
"The university's Design Institute will release "Odorama: A Smell Map" today as part of a quirky initiative to provoke a community conversation about urban life. Funded by a $1-million grant from Target Corp., the project aims to get people thinking about how their cities are designed, how that design affects their lives and how they can push for better urban planning... A garden map leads to a plot of heirloom tomatoes tended by deaf Hmong immigrants. A spiritual map points to a freshwater spring, sacred to Native Americans, burbling in a grove hung with offerings of dried tobacco. A map devoted to the grain industry traces a path from farm to silo to mill to the fortune cookie factory on Minnehaha Avenue."
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: City Maps Drawn on the Senses

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

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.

DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.

In These Cities, Most New Housing is Under 441 Square Feet
With loosened restrictions on “micro-housing,” tiny units now make up as much as 66% of newly constructed housing.
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