Sarah Wheaton and Richard A. Oppel Jr. report on a new line of attack against the urban favoring economic policies of his own party, being utilized by Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum in an effort to motivate his followers.
Highlighting a divide he sees between urban (Democratic) and rural (Republican) America, Santorum has taken to attacking Republican tax plans that he says will benefit "higher-income individuals who live in those blue areas [around big cities] mostly."
According to Wheaton and Oppel, "[i]n highlighting who would benefit from competing Republican tax proposals, Mr. Santorum seemed to be using urban-rural rivalry as a way to suggest that Mitt Romney, one of his opponents, was the candidate of more liberal city dwellers and that he was the candidate of more conservative rural residents, though polls show that Mr. Romney tends to do well in suburban areas."
By emphasizing the geographic divide of their basis of support, Santorum is suggesting a somewhat counter-intuitive argument that Romney's popularity in traditionally democratic areas makes him less likely to win a general election. "If we're going to win this election, we have to have a candidate who is going to energize our base, get them excited," said Santorum.
FULL STORY: Santorum Takes On Urban America

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont