While Steven Ames was invited to create a plan for Auckland, numerous critics have attacked the Oregon-based planner, claiming "smart growth has failed."
The battle over the merits of smart growth, as exemplified by Portland, Oregon, has reached New Zealand's principal city. In an effort to plan for Auckland's next thirty years, local officials went to the Oregon city to better understand the effects of Ames' philosophy. Despite many clear benefits, numerous critics from New Zealand and abroad cite some massive failures as "the dark side of smart growth."
Thanks to Jeffrey Goodman
FULL STORY: Auckland's growing pains

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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