An editorial asserts that the founding fathers would not have approved of the smart growth movement.
"Smart growth supporters, such as the Sierra Club and other doomsayers, attempt to scare the public into believing that 'sprawl' is going to destroy us - even though less than 5 percent of the surface area of this country has been developed. There is no justification for this crisis mode." One recent study focusing on Portland has even shown "that 'smart growth' hurts low-income groups at disproportionately high rates...the Portland anti-sprawl restrictions did not achieve their environmental objectives, actually increasing suburbanization rates while failing to reduce vehicle miles traveled or congestion." In addition, some town plans go so far as to regulate everything from satellite dishes to "the number of garage sales a family can have per year...This [is] un-American, and [goes] against everything this country was founded upon. Destruction of property rights and pushing people in on top of one another is nothing more than communism, plain and simple, and it's all being done under the guise of conservation and environmentalism."
Thanks to David Gest
Read the full story: Land-Use Rules Destroy the Rights of Property Owners
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Record-breaking wildlife overpass in Colorado brings 91% reduction in animal collisions
Prior to the overpass, vehicles were hitting one deer per day on Colorado’s Interstate 25.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello