Ian McHarg's groundbreaking ideas changed our thinking about development and laid down the basis for today's computer-based geographic information systems.
"The strapping, red-haired Scotsman was a colorful character as well as a force for change in the stodgy field of landscape architecture, and his ideas have been implemented in small communities and large cities throughout the world, from Medford in the Pinelands to Nigeria's capital, Abouja.Before the age of Greenpeace and recycling, he developed what became known as McHarg's Method, in which planners inventory every level of detail about a place, from the rock layers to the vegetation to the hydrology - and then take this into account when developing the site."
Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan
Read the full story: Ian McHarg, 80, Penn professor, innovative environmental thinker
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.”
Boston is hard to build housing in: its chief of planning wants to keep it that way
Chief of Planning Kairos Shen said she would not make changes to Boston’s affordability requirements for new housing, which critics say have slowed down development.
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.
With no reauthorization bill in sight, Texas slashes $6.6 billion from transportation budget
An official said the program may receive additional funding when a federal reauthorization bill passes.
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