Phoenix and Tucson are building up, not out, but is it enough to slow desert development?
The Christian Science Monitor reports on a growing movement of Arizonans who are forsaking sprawling suburbia for downtown living:
"This movement is fueling a bevy of condominium projects in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Other conditions - like rising energy costs, congested freeways, a new, downtown Phoenix campus for Arizona State University, new sports and cultural complexes, and the construction of a light-rail system - are also contributing to the new phenomenon of building up rather than out.
Similar moves have already taken place in America's more densely packed metropolises. But the fact that they're happening in a place like Phoenix - with 60 percent more land than New York City but only one-seventh of its population - suggests that residents of even the most sprawling cities are ready for change."
Read the full story: Even in sprawling Arizona, downtown condos are now hip
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
25 states, cities sue the EPA over erased power plant emissions limits
The coalition also intends to sue the EPA for not regulating emissions from gas-fired power plants.
Newsom vetoes giving CA tribes greater voice in water projects
In his veto letter, Newsom said the bill would add ‘uncertainty’ to the state’s fight to secure Californians’ water supplies.
Michigan Senate votes to revise 'lax' dam safety laws
A Bridge Michigan investigation found more than 100,000 Michigan residents live in the floodpath of a high or significant-hazard dam.
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.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello