As part of Bloomberg BusinessWeek's "Fix This" city planning series, the World Bank's Daniel Hoornweg considers how cities can often be a reflection of the cultural and institutional personalities of their citizens.
Cities are the most ambitious achievement of humanity. They evolve to represent what people want and can afford according to Daniel Hoornweg of the World Bank. While certain practical realities help to shape the form of a city, such as the availability of natural resources, he also describes cities as, "a function of the bones of the animal, which tend to be the transportation system."
Mick Cornett, Mayor of Oklahoma City, also discusses how to finance making a better city through taxes and how his city was able to pass sales tax increases with a relatively conservative electorate. Oklahoma City has one of the strongest economies in the country, despite the recession, and in that environment, he says, "you got to make things happen while you can."
Thanks to Anatalio Ubalde
Read the full story: Are Cities a Reflection of Their Citizens?
Why city hall doesn't know your music venue is a music venue (and why that matters)
Data shows that cultural venues have long lacked proper classification — which is why so many fall through the cracks.
Is the built environment partly to blame for population decline?
The way communities are designed could be contributing to lower birth rates.
US Census Starts Using Postal Workers as Census Takers
A test program is using postal carriers to administer Census questionnaires.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello