Investment in improving public spaces seen as key to keeping and attracting businesses and residents in Baltimore.
Writing in the Baltimore Sun, Lorraine Mirabella explores the Downtown Partnership's plans to create more attractive and active public spaces in an effort to generate economic activity. Without funding in place for the larger initiatives outlined in the open space plan, the City is moving ahead with small scale improvements and "lighter, quicker, cheaper" solutions.
"At Hopkins Plaza and throughout downtown we are trying to go back and correct the overusage of man-made materials and get away from that bunkerlike feel of excessive concrete and hardscape," said Nan Roher, the partnership's vice president of economic development and planning.
FULL STORY: Baltimore's downtown public spaces get a face-lift

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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