In order to preserve its working waterfront, the City of Portland, ME, must balance the pressures of urban redevelopment in the city's thriving Old Port district with the needs of the fishermen who have worked there for centuries.
Custom House Wharf, which extends 450 feet from Commercial Street into Portland Harbor, is an artifact of that era. With its sagging fish shacks, funky odors and dilapidated buildings, it's the kind of place tourists judge to be authentic and quaint, if not a little scary.
But change could be coming. Custom House Wharf is part of the central waterfront zone, the collection of 16 wharves and piers closest to the Old Port. A city task force is looking at the area's infrastructure needs and determining whether Portland should overhaul the restrictive zoning rules adopted in 1992 to block the creep of high-end condominiums and trendy restaurants into the working waterfront.
FULL STORY: Gritty Waterfront in Flux?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Even Edmonton Wants Single Staircase Buildings
Canada's second most affordable major city joins those angling to nix the requirement for two staircases in multi-family buildings.
Duffy Threatens to Cut DOT Funds to “Sanctuary Cities”
“Follow the law or forfeit the funding” says US Secretary of Transportation.
Trump Approves Futuristic Automated Texas-Mexico Cargo Corridor
The project could remove tens of thousands of commercial trucks from roadways.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)