Cities are falling over themselves to try to convince basketball superstar Lebron James that he should pick their NBA franchise as his new team.
Next American City looks at the various efforts cities and officials are putting out to try to lure Lebron.
"At the head of this pack seeking to draw James is New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg recently cut 'C'mon Lebron' 'a youtube video appealing to James to c'mon and 'write the next chapter in NYC basketball history.' Bloomberg's video looks like a pro-forma promotional video produced by the local chamber of commerce. That is until he drops this gem: 'As the good book says, lead us to the promised land. And that's a quote from the King James version.'
This savior analogy is taken a step further by officials in James' home state where Governor Ted Strickland recently banded together with cast of notable Ohio figures to record 'We Are Lebron,' a parody of the various 'We Are The World' efforts, in which Ohio officials are bizarrely found referring to James as 'King' (i.e. 'Just tell us King what changes we must make')."
Read the full story: Cities to Lebron: “We Need You”
Cities See Mixed Returns on Spring Training Investments
While some cities in Florida have shelled out big money to build baseball stadia for professional teams' spring training, many of those teams are moving their spring programs to other cities, raising concerns about the wisdom of those investments.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
15 US cities and their global namesakes
Hundreds of cities around the United States are named after other places. We tour a few of them.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority