After two decades of pushing the boundaries of what it means to build a community (both physically and spiritually), the annual Burning Man festival has a lot to teach municipalities about providing services and fostering participation.
At the end of this month, Black Rock City, the annual temporary home to the Burning Man festival will swell from nothing to a population of 60,000 inhabitants. In an era in which, "Many seek to harness the creative energies of citizens to fill the gaps,
asking them to take a more active role in governance, service
provision, and even in creating new services," Black Rock City's successes in fostering participation, sharing and community can be a model for towns around America.
Jessica Reeder discusses 7 lessons Burning Man can offer your town, along with relevant examples from other communities:
- First, Adopt the Right Mindset: There are No Spectators
- Crowdsource The Budget
- Build Your Own Bank
- Share Your Profits
- Hitch, Surf & Crash
- Plug In to the Resource Grid
- Reprogram Your Government
Read the full story: 7 Ways To Reinvent Your City, Burning Man Style
San Francisco is in a “Doom Loop.” A Legendary Artist and Burning Man Founder Knows how to Revive it.
Artists made San Francisco what it was. They might just be the key to its future.
EU's New Rider Directive Poses Challenges to Cash-Strapped Delivery Platforms
The European Union has adopted a new directive aimed at improving working conditions for platform workers and increasing transparency. This new directive goes beyond Spain’s Rider’s Law, aiming for a harmonized set of standards across the E.U.
Montana Land Use Reform Overhauls Public Participation Rules
In a bid to streamline housing permits, new state legislation limits public input to the land use planning stage.
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.
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.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
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