The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. is on track to becoming an urban-planning fiasco, writes Catesby Leigh.
"Unveiled early this year, Rafael Viñoly's conceptual scheme for the Center's expansion converts the circle around the Lincoln Memorial into an enormous oval with the Center in the middle. The Mall's Reflecting Pool morphs into a stream that runs down the middle of the slightly tilted as well as elevated E Street for a couple of blocks before flaring out into a circular pool... This plan still keeps the city at arm's length, civic-center style. It should be scrapped... Two steps must be taken to spare Washington a major urban-planning fiasco. First, the federal government should insist that the Center expand its building program to create more value out of Uncle Sam's enormous infrastructure investment."
Thanks to ArchNewsNow
FULL STORY: L'Enfant Terrible

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

Conservatives’ Decongestion Pricing Flip-Flop
When it comes to solving traffic problems, the current federal administration is on track for failure, waste, and hypocrisy.

Research Shows More Roads = More Driving
A national study shows, once again, that increasing road supply induces additional vehicle travel, particularly over the long run.

Can Progressive Planners Appeal to Conservative Principles?
Trump’s approach to policies like NYC’s congestion pricing isn’t just irrational and wasteful — it defies the tenets of conservatism. But there are ways to reframe the issues.

Oak Park Plans Earth Month Events
Join Oak Park, Illinois, for a series of Earth Month events highlighting the importance of community engagement and education, integrating sustainability into local plans, and planning for the most vulnerable, such as birds, bees and butterflies.
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.
Florida Atlantic University
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland