More than 750 traffic signals in Montgomery County, Maryland, were crippled last week after the failure of a piece of electrical equipment that was 37 years old. The old technology and the repercussions are being called a warning to other cities.
"The coincidence of twin mini-disasters for commuters last week might foreshadow scores of problems as cash-strapped governments stagger into the 21st century burdened by creaking 20th-century technology. Unlike businesses, which have had to keep pace with technological advances to stay competitive, government and public agencies facing budget woes more readily can postpone spending to replace old but still functional equipment.
'This is a wake-up to all municipalities across the nation and the area and underscores the dangers -- the ticking time bombs -- buried in our aging traffic engineering infrastructure,' said John B. Townsend II, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. 'We are playing catch-up, because lawmakers have been unwilling to fund upgrades.'"
The aging infrastructure that caused the problem was already a known risk, but the local government had few resources to replace it with newer technologies.
FULL STORY: Montgomery, Metro outages suggest more lapses coming
Cities and States Large Borrowing Causes Concern
As the economic downturn has caused many states and municipalities to borrow large amounts of money, some worry there may be a glut of them going bankrupt.
Survey: US Public Spaces Not Meeting Community Needs
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Is the Urban Form Sustainable?
One author offers a framework for resilience that rethinks common assumptions about the inevitability of cities as we know them.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions