In a prescient article for the events of this week, John Seo looks at how the global march towards increased density (in technology, land use, and financial markets) has consequences, both beneficial and catastrophic.
"Learning to live with the risks of density requires recognizing that density is here to stay -- and that's a good thing," proclaims Seo. But the risks of disaster that can afflict the world's many types of dense networks - whether global financial markets, information technology networks, or coastal cities - are profound and must be managed proactively.
For instance, says Seo, "[c]ramming more than half the world's
population and production onto a relatively small area of mostly coastal
land means that the cost of natural catastrophes of all kinds will rise
dramatically. This year's earthquake in Japan, which caused more than
$300 billion in economic damage, was just a preview; a decade and a half
from now, a single hurricane or earthquake will come with a potential
price tag of $1 trillion or more."
"Recognizing the importance of the density dynamic is essential not only
to harnessing its benefits but also to managing its costs -- and they
can be managed. Technology made megacities possible, while at the same
time making catastrophic citywide fires a thing of the past. Now that we
are building megacities of financial risk, we need to put the
equivalent of new building practices and fire codes in place to keep an
ill-timed and poorly placed financial fire from burning down a third of
the metropolis."
FULL STORY: Everything Will Be Too Big to Fail

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions