Neal Peirce writes that there is a way to rebuild New Orleans in a responsible, sustainable way: make low-lying areas parkland, and build denser neighborhoods on higher ground. But there appears to be no political will to make it happen.
"What one sees, eight months after Katrina engulfed 80 percent of New Orleans, is neighborhood after neighborhood overwhelmed by mountains of debris, wrecked homes, buildings knocked off foundations, watermarks up to roof lines, holes in roofs where people chopped their way out. There are even lingering 'Possible Body' signs.
And the destruction isn't just in the Lower Ninth Ward, which has received most national attention; even sections such as Lakewood, with million-dollar homes, were heavily damaged..."
"...the Rand Corp. estimates that barely 50 percent of New Orleans' people are likely to be back in town by 2008. And there's a real question: Will a city government on the verge of bankruptcy be able to assure water, sewer and electric services to neighborhoods with just a scattering of occupied houses? The federal government is repairing the broken levees, but relying on levees in an intensifying hurricane cycle is a crapshoot at best."
FULL STORY: New Orleans' throttled future
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Massachusetts Budget Helps Close MBTA Budget Gap
The budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey includes $470 million in MBTA funding for the next fiscal year.
Milwaukee Launches Vision Zero Plan
Seven years after the city signed its Complete Streets Policy, the city is doubling down on its efforts to eliminate traffic deaths.
Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont