Before officials get too excited about using stimulus money to repair the nation's infrastructure, they should carefully consider design, according to this oped.
"The U.S. Conference of Mayors has listed 15,221 local infrastructure projects in 641 cities that are "ready to go." But while speed in getting work started and jobs created is clearly key, the importance of good design that will last for generations should not be lost in the haste."
"We need to ensure that the money spent goes to creative, sustainable buildings that will stand the test of time and will still be used by our children and our grandchildren. After all, they are the ones who are going to be paying for these debt-financed projects."
"Perhaps the greatest design opportunity the economic stimulus can give us is for green and sustainable design to become an automatic and essential part of the architecture of new buildings, not just an add-on. In the same way that a bailout for the auto industry presents the prospect to reorient the design of automobiles in a sustainable direction, so is the economic-stimulus package a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reorient our architectural focus toward sustainable design."
Read the full story: Good, green design can be stimulating, timeless
Stimulus Spreading Work to Otherwise Barren Field of Architecture
Work has been hard to find for many architects over the last year. But for architects doing federal work, the story is a bit different.
Stimulus is Funding the Status Quo in California
While high speed rail and smart grid technology were used to sell the idea of the economic stimulus package, the majority of stimulus money in California is being spent on routine projects, according to new figures.
“Skin, Like a City, Will Tell You if You’ve Ignored its History”
Once an urban planner, Sean Colgrave traded in infrastructure for ink when he became a tattoo artist. Now he says: one profession has a lot to learn from the other.
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.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello