Officials hope to attract shipping and transportation companies to a new 60,000 acre development near the Detroit Metro and Willow Run airports.
The Michigan Senate recently approved key tax incentives programs to encourage development of the now-vacant site for businesses related to the transportation of goods by air, roads or water. The project, planned since the 1990's, may create 50,000 jobs in the Detroit area over the next 15 years, says Chris Christoff.
Local leaders have high hopes for the project, Christoff writes:
"Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano has called the Aerotropolis project a key to economic growth in the area, using the assets of the two airports and nearby highways...Sen. Ray Basham, D-Taylor, said the Aerotropolis plan will boost the downriver area by making Detroit Metro airport a commercial shipping hub."
Read the full story: Aerotropolis approved for tax incentives, could lure jobs
Proposed Detroit-Windsor Bridge Tabled
A Michigan Senate committee voted against a bill to create a public-private partnership to oversee land acquisition, construction and management of the planned Detroit River International Crossing, putting the project on hold until at least 2011.
America's Dying Middle Class
Rolling Stone pundit Matt Taibbi writes that the media are missing the real story: that millions of Americans are financially drowning under home heating costs, gas prices and debt, and the middle class is disappearing.
Learning loss and urban schools, part 2
Did test scores in progressive cities drop more post-COVID than test scores in moderate ones?
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.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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