America's national parks are as popular as ever. But, as the national park system approaches its 100th anniversary in 2016, years of strained budgets and deferred maintenance are conspiring to spoil the celebration.
Juliet Eilperin reports on the desperate state of America's most treasured landscapes and historic resources, as the products of staffing cuts and deferred maintenance and construction are becomming harder to ignore.
According to Thomas Kiernan, president of the National Parks Conservation Association, without a major influx of funds, "conditions at the parks will continue deteriorating and visits could
drop sharply."
"It's clear that inadequate federal funding is the
number one threat to the future of the national parks and the national
park idea," Kiernan said. "We're at a crossroads of historic importance
here."
Despite bipartisan support for the parks, "Park managers say they are alarmed at the prospect of both next year's
budget and a possible 8 percent across-the-board cut if negotiators fail
to reach a budget deal by January," writes Eilperin. "The president's fiscal 2013 budget
proposal - which was largely adopted by the House Appropriations
Committee - would cut 218 full-time jobs, or 763 seasonal employees."
FULL STORY: National parks face severe funding crunch

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service