B.C. Auditor General John Doyle released a scathing report this week claiming that officials have done a poor job of involving the public and looking out for their best interests.
"In his report, Mr. Doyle reviewed a decision made in January, 2007, by then forest minister Rich Coleman to remove 28,000 hectares of private lands from three coastal tree farm licences. The lands belong to Western Forest Products, which has since provisionally sold 2,500 hectares on southwestern Vancouver Island to a private developer.
The decision has drawn the ire of First Nations, environmental groups and local land owners."
"Though the report contains no recommendations for specific improvement, it raises broad concerns about the leadership style of Premier Gordon Campbell's Liberal government, and about its willingness to consult the public on major decisions."
Read the full story: B. C. Auditor Criticizes Land-Use Decision
Montana Land Use Reform Overhauls Public Participation Rules
In a bid to streamline housing permits, new state legislation limits public input to the land use planning stage.
The Slow Streets Reckoning
Slow streets programs provided a quick short-term solution and paved the way for some permanent street closures and realignments. Now, these programs are getting a second look as community groups react to the changes.
Pandemic Planning Must Reconcile With the Inequities of the Past
The ongoing debate about the role of marginalized communities in the emergency planning programs of the pandemic has now been detailed on the pages of the New York Times.
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.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority