Gene Dunn, a 63-year-old resident of Ventura, California cuts weeds with his square shovel on public streets. City leaders would like to recruit an army of Gene Dunns.
Retired firefighter Gene Dunn was frustrated with continually seeing weeds growing on public sidewalks in his neighborhood, and decided to become a de facto public servant.
Ventura Mayor (and frequent Planetizen contributor) Bill Fulton applauded Dunn's activities and is calling for an expanded volunteer program to do work like weeding that the city can't afford to keep up do to budget constraints:
From the Ventura County Star:
"We have come to realize the value of volunteers more than ever before," said Fulton, who announced a goal of recruiting 200 new volunteers in 2011 in his recent State of the City address. "The city simply cannot provide the solutions to all of our problems."
Thanks to Mishauno Woggon
Read the full story: Ventura Man Refuses to get Lost in the Weeds
LA Clippers Support Basketball Court Program
The Los Angeles Clippers Foundation (LACF) is working with the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation to upgrade indoor and outdoor basketball courts across the county.
Uncertain Times for Trade Shows and Conferences
Expecting a dark winter, conferences are being canceled worldwide, putting millions of jobs at risk.
Abandoned Rural Spain Rebounds With People Fleeing Cities
COVID-19 is leading an exodus to rural areas, according to this article. The shift could hurt the economies of cities, but it also presents opportunities for younger residents and people looking for a more sustainable lifestyle.
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.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic place names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
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