An entrepreneur purchases exclusive rights to build waterfront housing along the entire New York's state canal system.
"Richard Hutchens won the contract after submitting the only written proposal in response to a classified ad that ran on page 62 of a state-run, $175-per-year newsletter. Below listings for mops, towels and coveralls, the state shopped for a developer who shared its dream to build homes across New York state with their own mini-canals leading boaters to the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego and Champlain canal systems. With Hutchens the only person to answer the ad, the state began negotiating a contract with him. It didn't solicit additional proposals, even though 32 other companies had previously expressed interest in canal development. The deal flew so far under the radar that former Assemblyman Michael Bragman, then- chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee and one of the canal's chief supporters, was unaware of the state's search for a developer."
Thanks to Stu Baker
Read the full story: On canal, he has the ad-vantage
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.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority