A Minnesota think tank looks to make practical improvements in sprawling communities.
"Ann Forsyth, the new director of the Design Center for the American Urban Landscape at the University of Minnesota," is trying to improve our nation's suburbs, while empathizing with their inhabitants' desires. "They have needs - financial needs and emotional needs - for a place they can afford, a place to raise a family, a place to be close to nature...suburbs are where the cutting edge of design is," says Forsyth. She is drawing on her research of "three 'new towns' designed wholly from scratch in the 1960s: Columbia, Md.; Irvine, Calif., and the Woodlands near Houston." In addition, her group's "projects include a digital image bank of urban and suburban environments that community groups and academics can use" to help them address suburban design problems.
Thanks to David Gest
FULL STORY: Urban designer explores the suburbs

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions