Baghdad's "International Zone," often known as the Green Zone, is a city unlike any other.
"The Green Zone is encircled with 14-foot-tall concrete blast barriers, rolls of barbed-wire fencing, snipers and checkpoints manned by U.S. soldiers. A few Iraqis who work closely with U.S. and British officials choose to live there, too...
Many Iraqis who lived in the zone have moved out, renting their houses to coalition governments or Western companies, which pay top dollar. Those remaining have watched with alarm and wonder as Americans have taken over their neighborhood, Humvees have filled their streets and their lives have been increasingly forced to conform to the security needs of frightened foreigners."
[This article is available to non-subscribers for a period of 6 days.]
Thanks to Chris Steins
Read the full story: For Iraqi Families, 'Green Zone' Is Hardly an Oasis
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Maryland local governments examine if they should have more power to raise property taxes
Maryland’s housing market is out of reach for the majority of moderate-income residents.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello