Sixty million acres -- nearly one acre per five people in the country -- are unprotected, unzoned, roadless areas. Author T.A. Barron looks at efforts to protect these lands.
"Starting almost three decades ago, the U.S. Forest Service began a process to determine the fate of those 60 million acres. Unlike the majority of our national forests, which are already open for industrial uses, these lands lacked any roads. But they also lacked any long-term protection as designated wilderness areas. They were the last of the nation's untouched, unplanned, unzoned real estate. And the time to decide their fate had finally arrived.
...Enter the current Bush administration. On May 13, 2005, it announced the summary repeal of the Roadless Areas Conservation Rule.
...Outrage over the Bush reversal is steadily growing. Many people cherish their roadless places and want to protect them. Just as important, they understand something that President Bush and his allies do not: Such places belong to all of us, including generations to come, not just those who happen to live in the state where the public land is found."
FULL STORY: Where the roads end
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions