Do walls and gates really make good neighbors?
"Gated communities and their public counterparts reflect frustration. Citizens turn to such devices because they lack confidence in the normal vehicles for ensuring the safety of persons and property. To outsiders, gated communities do not resemble welcome mats; they indeed may be a lamentable example of turning inward. But the way to make gated communities unattractive not only to well-meaning critics (and to surly ideologues) but to the typical family is not to denounce them as racially or socially exclusive. The answer is to arrest the civic decline that leads many to turn to gated communities for physical safety and emotional piece of mind."
Thanks to Richard Layman
FULL STORY: Gated Communities

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

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

Berkeley Approves ‘Middle Housing’ Ordinance
The city that invented single-family zoning is finally reckoning with its history of exclusion.

SEPTA Budget Slashes Service by 45 Percent
The Philadelphia-area transit agency is legally tasked with maintaining a balanced budget. Officials hope the state will come to the rescue with additional funding.

Connecticut Governor Vetoes Housing Bill
Gov. Lamont reversed his view on a controversial affordable housing bill that would have required municipalities to zone for set amounts of affordable housing to receive state funding.
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