For 4,000 residents whose homes don't directly link to sewer mains in Portland, Oregon, the city has said that they will have to pay for any repairs needed on their sewer lines.
"Until now – and in a more aggressive way during the past three years – the city has been forcing homeowners who have party-line sewers, or sewers that are linked to a neighbor's line rather than to a sewer main, to abandon the lines when they need repair."
"They are telling people like Conroy to link their homes directly to a sewer main. But an estimated 4,000 people citywide have no adjacent sewer main to link to."
"Citizens in Portland have been spending thousands of dollars on solutions, in some cases financing on their own what are in essence public sewer projects. They face sums that cause sometimes impossible burdens. Meanwhile, a city plan to fix its sewer system's gaps is years away."
FULL STORY: Public good comes at private expense
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
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.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.