Would a city ordinance that regulates the bleak street performing scene in the City of Baltimore be an impetus for its growth and enliven the city streets? Or would it have a crippling effect?
The Baltimore City Council has proposed an ordinance that would regulate and impose licensing fees on their desolate street performing scene with hopes that the added structure would encourage more performers to their city. The council believes that by regulating the scene, the performers would be immune to police harassment, and the overseeing board would be able to spread the entertainers throughout the city, allowing them to thrive. Others, including current Baltimore buskers, believe that with so few of them on the streets now, it would be an unnecessary intrusion and would push performers from the streets. "An increased number of street performers has the potential to do more than liven up drab sidewalks. Urban-planning expert William Whyte argued in his 1990 book City: Rediscovering the Center that street performers can make cities safer by making streets more social and less isolated."
Thanks to Brad Chranko
FULL STORY: Pay to Play
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?
Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)