By day, Nicole Losch works on the Sidewalk Strategic Plan for Burlington Public Works. But in the evenings, look out.
"It's a quiet day at the office for Nicole Losch. She's tweaking sidewalk and bike path plans for the Burlington Public Works Department to protect pedestrians.
Losch chuckles, 'Then I get to go out after work and participate in collisions!'
In the company of a dozen or so other professional women, Losch ditches her daytime persona and becomes 'Bruise Control.'
Together, they are the Green Mountain Derby Dames. They're part of a nationwide resurgence in Roller Derby, that hybrid of spectacle and sport that was a television staple in the 1950s and 60s.
Everyone here has an alter-ego like 'Puma Vicious' or 'Star Slayer,' and everyone's in clothes, if you can call shredded fishnet leggings, frilly panties, and knee-high fluorescent socks 'clothes.' They would give grandma a heart attack."
Read the full story: Derby Dames: Hell on Wheels!
The number of kids walking to school dropped from over 50% to 11% since the 1960s
Unsafe pedestrian infrastructure makes walking to school dangerous or impossible for a growing number of American students.
A robot army is assessing accessibility and mobility on Hoboken's streets
The city is deploying robotic scanners to identify gaps in the city's sidewalks, curb cuts and other mobility infrastructure.
Houston's pedestrian tunnels are flooding, exposing flaws in the city's pedestrian infrastructure
The city has received over 4,000 complaints about inaccessible sidewalks this year.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way
Susan Murcott, a waste water expert, said if Carlisle didn't address their leaking sewage, the problem could turn “deadly.”
Iowa taxpayers are paying thousands to clean manure out of their water
While the Clean Water Act makes states responsible for regulating factory farms that discharge pollutants, Iowa has turned a blind eye to the polluting farms.
Amtrak cuts ribbon on Seattle Airo maintenance facility
The $250 million, nearly 100,000-square-foot building can house an entire Cascades Airo trainset.
To power data centers, Google seeks autonomous control of thousands of homes’ electricity
The tech company has signed a deal to indirectly pay Mid-Atlantic residents to reduce their power demand when the grid is strained.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello