On Tuesday, the UK announced the creation of a green infrastructure program, intended to press planners and deveopers to infuse spaces with greenery. Writes Peter Walker, the benefits are beyond aesthetic--they're economic as well.
"While the green infrastructure partnership, launched on Tuesday morning, promises no new cash, it brings cross-government support and the backing of influential groups such as the Town and Country Planning Association and the Landscape Institute, as well as a series of developers and housing groups."
"Despite the lack of new government investment the project is 'more than an aspiration', insisted the environment minister Richard Benyon, who formally launched the scheme.
'It can sound a bit high blown, or airy fairy, but the point is that it does make a difference in many ways. This is now starting to be properly understood and appreciated in financial terms. Research shows the health benefits of people being connected to nature.'"
FULL STORY: UK government launches scheme to boost green spaces in urban areas

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

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

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
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Seattle’s Pike Place Market Leans Into Pedestrian Infrastructure
After decades of debate, the market is testing a car ban in one of its busiest areas and adding walking links to the surrounding neighborhood.

The World’s Longest Light Rail Line is in… Los Angeles?
In a city not known for its public transit, the 48.5-mile A Line is the longest of its kind on the planet.

Quantifying Social Infrastructure
New developments have clear rules for ensuring surrounding roads, water, and sewers can handle new users. Why not do the same for community amenities?
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