The military presence in Afghanistan is expanding at a rapid pace, creating a military sprawl.
"But if the situation for ordinary Afghans is worsening, the machinery and industry of NATO's presence in their country is thriving. As I arrived at Kandahar Air Field this week for my second reporting stint in Afghanistan, I was struck by just how comfortably the West is settling in here. The NATO base, which grew from the rubble of the old Kandahar airport after the first round of fighting ended seven years ago, was a wonder even when I was here last, in spring 2007. Housing about 5,000 troops from several different nations, it had a sophisticated electricity system, fast-food outlets, cement plants and steak-and-lobster nights."
"The complex known simply as KAF has only multiplied since then."
"Like urban sprawl, new barracks have appeared on land I last saw being cleared of mines."
Read the full story: Tom Blackwell in Kandahar: Urban sprawl behind the barricades
Mock Afghan City Helps Train Civilians
For more than 1,000 U.S. civilians being sent to Afghanistan to aid the nation's political and economic recovery, training starts in a small Indiana city where the Army and National Guard have built a mock Afghan city complex.
A Transect of sprawl
A development pattern this lifestyle-defining deserves its whole own classification system.
What the fall of earth's largest pre-industrial city can teach us about urban sprawl
Angkor was a low-density metropolis. It lasted six centuries, until it could no longer maintain its infrastructure in a changing climate. Today, it offers planners a sobering warning about the risks of dispersed urban living.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
NYC to turn city-owned property into thousands of homes
The city has scheduled a public hearing regarding the development for October.
Buses travel at 5mph along this route in NYC. The Bronx's first-ever busway looks to change that
Prior to the busway, buses on the Bx36 route traveled as slowly as 5 miles per hour.
Pittsburg launches 'EZ permits,' aims for one-day turnaround for low-risk permits
The pilot ‘fast lane’ for permits is part of a bundle of modernization efforts for Pittsburg’s permitting process.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello