This report from NPR examines the controversy and battle brewing between the federal government and small towns in Texas over a Department of Homeland Security plan to build more than 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"The U.S. government is constructing a 700-mile fence along its border with Mexico, leaving many inhabitants within the construction area fighting to keep their land. Eloisa Tamez talks about being sued by the federal government to gain access to her land near Brownsville, Texas. Tamez is joined by Brownsville Mayor Pat Ahumada."
Read the full story: Expansive Border Fence Stirs Fights Over Land
Border Fencing Plan Dodges Environmental Rules
Federal and state environmental guidelines have been waived by the Federal government to fast-track construction of nearly 700 miles of fencing along the U.S. Mexico Border.
Homeland Security Waives More Than 30 Laws to Expedite Border Wall
In the drive to begin construction in New Mexico, the Trump Administration has bypassed dozens of federal environmental regulations.
Department of Homeland Security Will Skip Environmental Review for the Border Wall
Also, the House of Representatives has approved the funding president trump wants for the wall, but the Senate is likely to balk.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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