NYC's revised plan for rezoning the area known as East Midtown met with a chilly reception from a variety of community and interest groups when unveiled last week. Planners are trying to finalize the controversial plan before Mayor Bloomberg exits.
"With the proposal [to rezone East Midtown] now wending its way through the public approval process, the New York City Planning Department released a series of minor modifications to its own plan on Wednesday in an attempt to mollify some critics in the real estate industry," reports Charles V. Bagli.
"The revisions provided little comfort, however, to those with stronger misgivings about the proposal, including community groups, preservationists and even some landlords who worry that the proposal is needlessly rushed and could result in a drastic increase in density in a neighborhood where the public transportation system is already overwhelmed."
FULL STORY: Revised Plan for Taller Midtown Fails to Assuage Critics

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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