Driving 20 miles for a gallon of milk, and strange night time noises make rural life untenable for rural transplants.
"Carolyn and Paul Brubaker's million-dollar home, with its five bedrooms, wraparound deck and stone fireplaces, was so gorgeous that it was featured on the cover of a real estate magazine. Its 7,400 square feet was five times the size of their former Old Town Alexandria townhouse... It was everything the city wasn't and exactly what they wanted. But it turned out to be nothing like what they had imagined. 'Within three months, we both knew we had to move,' Carolyn Brubaker said. 'Within five months, we had sold the house.' The Brubakers are part of a mini-migration of families who have headed west to the huge lots and enormous houses that are a byproduct of policies in Prince William and Loudoun counties designed to preserve rural areas and protect open space... The Brubakers -- instead of finding peace and quiet -- found themselves ill-equipped to manage or afford the rural life."
Thanks to Richard Layman, C. P. Zilliacus & David Stauffer
FULL STORY: Dream Homes Come With Rural Wake-Up Call: Lured by Large Va. Lots, Many Find Big Challenges
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie