Seattle seems to be on its ways to becoming a successful world city, according to a private consultant's list of the global trends that make cities great.
"Business leaders gained a glimpse of those trends -- economist-inspired insights into how global forces are already affecting downtown Seattle -- on Thursday morning at a State of Downtown economic forum.
Economists and researchers at Denver consulting firm Progressive Urban Management Associates have identified 10 global trends that affect downtown cores. Economist and company president Brad Segal presented the findings Thursday, along with data specific to Seattle."
Among the points:
"The cities of the future will be teeming with well-educated young women. They increasingly outnumber men in college enrollment and will form a majority of the work force by 2010. Seattle ranks fifth nationally in the number of college-educated young women."
"Cities will appeal by giving those women fun things to do. "Women tend to recreate more than men," Segal said."
"The cities with an advantage will be ones with strong public transportation systems. Transportation is Seattle's biggest vulnerability, Segal said."
"For Seattle commuters, an average annual delay of 12 hours in 1982 increased to 45 hours in 2005."
FULL STORY: Seattle is on the global path

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont