According to several sources, Los Angeles is one earthquake away from becoming a new New Orleans -- and they warn that local preparedness is imperative.
"Would better preparedness on a neighborhood level have made up for the lapses in official response that marooned thousands of New Orleans residents in hellish “shelters†like the Superdome? Does it help make Los Angeles better equipped than the Gulf Coast to handle a disaster?
Certainly, it can’t hurt. Elected officials and emergency preparedness professionals here have repeated now for more than a week that Los Angeles’ disaster infrastructure is second to none in the nation, tightly coordinated, well rehearsed. But most also fell back on the grim reminder that for the first three days after a catastrophe that severs communication lines and evacuation routes, residents should expect to be on their own."
Read the full story: Could L.A. be the next New Orleans?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
NYC cools commuters with city's first rain garden above a bus stop
New York City officials say the plants in the rain garden can absorb 16 gallons of rainwater during heavy storms.
Brightline West’s future may rely on $6 billion federal loan
The company has until Nov. 2 to make a $400 million equity investment into its proposed high-speed rail line.
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.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association