As city leaders look at ways to shrink Lansing, Michigan to a more sustainable size, historic preservationists say "Stop, Look and Listen" before you go clearing out neighborhoods of historic residences.
Brenna Maloney explains that Lansing is somewhat unique in that its economic base isn't doing too badly. But the city is considering clearing some neighborhoods that sit in a flood plain.
Maloney says sometimes the right thing to do in historic preservation is to save homes at the neighborhood level like these:
"In a shrinking city, what is most important to preserve is not necessarily the monumental buildings, or the interesting river front warehouses, or the breath-taking architect-designed mansions. No, the most important things to save are the places that the people that do the living and working in those places themselves love – the places that define who they are."
Read the full story: Stop, Look, and Listen Before Right-Sizing
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.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority