This editorial asks why farmers in centuries passed could plan ahead for Botswana's rainy season, but rains cause chaos for the country as administrators can't seem to plan an effective infrastructure system to handle the downpour.
The October-through-April rainy season in Botswana is historically problematic. Flooding is inevitable as the country's infrastructure fails to handle the water load. In this editorial piece, the author asks why even ancient farmers could plan their plowing ahead of time to avoid catastrophic flooding on their farmland but the country's administrators can't plan far enough ahead to avoid the flooding from a perennial rainy season.
"We know very well of the chaos that come with the rainy season. Year in, year out, we are faced with similar problems of blocked floodwater drainage systems. And embarrassingly the city engineers and others charged with the responsibility will sheepishly repeat the same excuses that the systems were designed to handle lesser capacity or that rubbish is being thrown in culverts."
"We have been hearing that for years. What we now want to hear is how those in authority have planned to address these recurring problems."
Read the full story: Botswana: Will Our Planning Ever Be Precise?
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.
Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing
The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.
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