Home Depot and Apple are dropping plans for two big Manhattan stores. The Slatin Report offers the insider's view on the deals.
"After months of hand-wringing over costs and benefits, Home Depot has shut the door on lower Manhattan. Late last week, the company quietly killed its year-old plans to open a store that would have significantly changed the retail landscape at the convergence of the burgeoning SoHo and Tribeca neighborhoods."
...
"[R]eal estate sources say that, from the start, Apple had doubts about the compatibility of its leading-edge image with that of middle-America 34th Street, at least as it currently stands. While strong retailers like Gap, American Eagle and Forever 21 are happily ensconced along the block, "unfortunately, a lot of the old 34th Street – third-rate tourist merchants and rip-off artists" still remain, says one long-timre retail broker."
FULL STORY: Home Depot Dumps Downtown, Apple Peels 34th

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” framework.

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)