A broad and controversial watershed protection plan for Florida's Miami-Dade County was released recently. It calls for a time extension on the county's urban development boundary to 2025 to help protect the area's water quality.
Steadying the county's urban development boundary has been a controversial decision, especially to developers. The county faces a large increase in population and a diminishing amount of land on which to build housing. The county's watershed is heavily affected by the area's many farms and housing developments.
"The study, more than five years and almost $4 million in the making, is supposed to find room for a population projected to double to 1.5 million over the next 50 years while also protecting water quality for Biscayne Bay."
"Recently, 21 members of a watershed advisory committee took final votes on 68 proposals to start putting the ideas in force. Nearly every vote split down a familiar dividing line in South Miami-Dade -- environmentalists and rural residents on one side, agricultural and building interests on the other."
FULL STORY: Growth plan holds line in S. Dade
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
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