The City of Portland, Maine, continues to struggle with the decision of whether or not to renovate or rebuild the 28 year old Cumberland County Civic Center.
"For the first time ever, the trustees of the Cumberland County Civic Center, members of the Portland City Council and Cumberland County commissioners met on Monday evening to discuss the future of the 28-year-old arena."
"The outcome was less historic, as the parties basically agreed that they will need to reach a consensus before anything can be done about the 6,800-seat arena, which either needs minor repairs or replacement, depending on who's talking."
"The center's trustees are on record as favoring a new arena with more seating, better amenities, improved backstage spaces for artists and easier setup for equipment."
"City officials said a review of the center by the architect who designed changes for Fenway Park in Boston offers new hope for those who think that a less-costly renovation would solve the arena's problems. And some elected officials say that cutting property taxes needs to take priority over putting any more money into the civic center."
FULL STORY: Consensus still eluding parties on civic center

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

Texas Safety Advocates Raise Alarm in Advance of Tesla Robotaxi Launch
The company plans to deploy self-driving taxis in Austin with no oversight from state or local transportation agencies.

How to Fund SF’s Muni Without Cutting Service
Three solutions for bridging the San Francisco transit agency’s budget gap without reducing service for transit-dependent riders.

Austin Tests Self-Driving Bus
Autonomous buses could improve bus yard operations for electric fleets, according to CapMetro.
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)