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."
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.
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.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” philosophy.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
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)