The country is stocked with antiquated infrastructure, but this piece from The New York Times says that some of it is only old because it was built to last.
"Is the country relying too much on decaying infrastructure, the capital investments of generations long gone?"
"Maybe, but there is a good reason why big old things - pipes and bridges, nuclear reactors and even spaceships - stick around. In many ways, they are like your grandmother's dining room set: big, bulky and hard to remove. And in a lot of ways, it makes more sense to keep the old stuff than replace it with something from Ikea."
"Indeed, old equipment is in routine use. Nuclear reactors that were built in Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" era, with a life expectancy of 40 years, have recently had their licenses extended to 60 years. And one member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is already talking about adding 20 years on to that."
"Generally, the bigger an object, the longer it survives, because it has economic value, and has usually become intricately connected to things around it."
FULL STORY: Things Fall Apart, but Some Big Old Things Don’t
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions