The conservative commentator has proposed a $2 billion "city-theme park hybrid" that "would bring several of Glenn’s seemingly disconnected projects into one place." You'll be surprised at the similarities with certain Smart Growth principles.
Shortly after publishing a list of keywords associated with the dastardly Agenda 21 movement, Beck returns to place-based subjects with his proposal for a "city-theme park hybrid" indebted to Walt Disney's vision for Disneyland as "a place where people would find happiness, inspiration, courage and hope." And gosh darnit if Beck didn't use some of those very scary keywords in describing his ideal community - "Independence."
Angie Schmitt discusses the elements of the city "that in some ways bears a shocking resemblance to the urbanism he sneers at, and in other ways seems far more coercive than the planning ideas he wants people to fear."
So you don't have to sit through the 7:16 video below, here are some of the more captivating elements of the plan.
- The city will be developed around "patterns." No word on who actually skecthed the plan Beck uses in the show. We'd be interested to hear your guesses.
- Independence is oriented around a "marketplace" that has independent artisans and no chain stores
- The "Ranch" addresses our food problems by growing food locally, making the city self-sufficient
- Through the use of renewable energy sources like wind power, the city actually provides energy back to the grid
Read the full story: Glenn Beck: Double Agent for Agenda 21?
Are Planners the Victims of a Dastardly Mind-Control Plot?
If you've ever led a public planning process you may be complicit in perpetuating a diabolical conspiracy to coerce Americans into accepting "a United Nations-run communist dictatorship in which suburbanites will be forcibly relocated to cities."
Arizona Activist Defends Planning from Tea Party Assault
Greg Hanscom profiles Stacey Champion, an environmental consultant and PR specialist who uncovered, and defeated, shady efforts to ban sustainability planning in Arizona.
Who's Behind the Anti-Agenda 21 Firestorm?
Lloyd Alter investigates the individuals and organizations "manufacturing" the anti-Agenda 21 campaign, and argues that "Big Oil" is helping to bankroll anti-sustainability efforts.
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.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority