Architect Magazine talks with Toni Griffin, the urban planner who's leading the effort to rewrite Detroit's comprehensive plan to help the city through troubled times.
Griffin is heading the 12-18 month effort to rewrite the city's planning policies, and is facing many challenges along the way, one of which being the fact that the city now has roughly 40 square miles of vacant or abandoned land.
"Architect: Won't some people, in fact, have to move, if the city can no longer provide fire, sanitation, police, and other services to their present locations?
Griffin: The city is not looking at a forced relocation strategy. The team is sensitive to the scars left by federal urban renewal programs in the mid-to-late '60s, which in fact did uproot people. So we're talking about giving people choices to live in neighborhoods that can best provide the services they need.
It's going to be tough, but the planning process seeks to create more efficient and sustainable patterns of development and growth, as well as seeking new possibilities for the repurposing of land."
FULL STORY: Can This Planner Save Detroit?

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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