Harundale Mall, one of the first enclosed malls built in the country, is now a strip mall. This article contains an examination of its somber decline and the direction in which Harundale--and other malls--may be headed next.
"It is ironic that Rouse's project ended up as a strip mall, said Joshua Olsen, who wrote a biography of the developer, because he had envisioned Harundale Mall as an antidote to the aesthetically and socially impoverished strip shopping center.
'It's strange to talk about the community and malls, but that's very much what he wanted to do is create a place where people could gather and at least rub elbows,' Olsen said."
"People may say they like [strip retail centers], but such boosters may be unaware of the alternatives, [Ed McMahon, senior resident fellow for sustainable development at the Urban Land Institute] said. He imagines that many strip malls will go through transformations to become friendlier to residents, transit and pedestrians.
Michael Beyard, also a fellow at the Urban Land Institute, agreed. 'We think that, slowly, communities will recognize that these older strips have outlived their usefulness,' he said. 'There could be opportunity there.'"
FULL STORY: A mall reinvented

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

How Atlanta Built 7,000 Housing Units in 3 Years
The city’s comprehensive, neighborhood-focused housing strategy focuses on identifying properties and land that can be repurposed for housing and encouraging development in underserved neighborhoods.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Caltrans
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service