Most of California and the country would be unpopulated if we didn't rebuild on risky terrain. Instead, most communities use the 'Dirty Harry College of Urban Planning' motto, 'Do I feel lucky?'
"Most of the places where Californians live are designed by a short-range, take-the-money-and-run business model that â€" as somebody once said â€" only plans as far ahead as the next quarter, not the next quarter-century. We seem to design cities the way we design healthcare: on the cheap, gambling that we can skimp on the front end and won't get wiped out by big losses on the back end.
...Last January, in Ventura County, a human-cut cliff behind the coastal town of La Conchita slid away for the second time in 10 years. It killed 10 people. It will slide again, and kill again.
...Most likely, they'll be built, and rebuilt, as always, by graduates of the Dirty Harry College of Urban Planning, whose school motto is: 'You've got to ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?' "
FULL STORY: Building cities like there's no tomorrow
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
US Senate Reverses California EV Mandate
The state planned to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, a goal some carmakers deemed impossible to meet.
Trump Cuts Decimate Mapping Agency
The National Geodetic Survey maintains and updates critical spatial reference systems used extensively in both the public and private sectors.
Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law
Cities will be allowed to lower speed limits to 10 miles per hour and prioritize pedestrians on certain streets.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions