Plans to revive a decades-dead streetcar loop in St. Louis are gathering steam.
"Edwards, who is best known for his Blueberry Hill restaurant-nightclub and for helping to reinvigorate the Delmar Loop, is considered the father of the planned Loop streetcar comeback. He has proposed and won the support of regional and federal backers for an electric hybrid version of colorful old St. Louis electric streetcars that used to travel up and down the Delmar Loop and to Forest Park. The last fixed-track trolleys ran in St. Louis in 1966.
The route would run from near the Lion Gates at Trinity Avenue in University City to DeBaliviere Avenue in St. Louis, and then south to Forest Park and back, traveling with car traffic. The trolleys would circle the Missouri Historical Society and a roundabout at Trinity.
The project is not without critics. Some people question whether trolley projects are a good use of federal money. Others worry about traffic congestion and the inconvenience of construction."
The $43 million project could begin construction early next year and open by 2013.
FULL STORY: University City Loop trolley moves forward

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Research: Walkability Linked to Improved Public Health
A study reveals that the density of city blocks is a significant factor in communities’ walkability and, subsequently, improved public health outcomes for residents.

Report Outlines Strategies for Resilient Wildfire Recovery in LA
Project Recovery offers a roadmap for rebuilding more sustainable and climate-resilient communities after wildfires and other disasters.

New Executive Order Renews Attack on Public Lands
An order issued late last week pushes for increased mineral extraction on federally owned public lands.
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.
Florida Atlantic University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland