New Haven has unveiled a first-of-its-kind card that's a combination gift certificate and prepaid credit card. By allowing users to shop, dine, and park throughout the city, officials see the card as a way to attract tourists and boost the economy.
"On his last day on the job, departing city traffic tsar Jim Travers unveiled a first: a new card for shopping, dining, and parking in the city and a new way for New Haven to 'brand' itself as a destination city," reports Thomas MacMillan. "Travers said he took the idea from mall gift cards—gift certificates that can be redeemed at any store in a mall. The Shop•Dine•Park works the same way, except the 'mall' is all of New Haven, and you can use it to pay for parking, too."
"At a Monday press conference at the Shubert Theater, Mayor Toni Harp said the card has made her think of New Haven as 'a sort of urban theme park' with the new card as a 'pre-paid all-access pass.'”
Read the full story: New Haven’s “All-Access Pass” Debuts
New Haven Reaches for Reinvention Amidst Failures of Urban Renewal
Seeking recovery from decades of failed urban renewal projects, New Haven rings in the new year by continuing a series of small-scale urban planning initiatives to reinvent its municipal spaces.
Thousands of Affordable Housing Units Planned Near New Haven Train Station
The proposal could breathe new life into a long-neglected area near a heavily trafficked Amtrak station.
New Haven Housing Authority Proposes Zoning Reforms, Land Tax
While the Connecticut State Legislature stalls on zoning reform, a local housing authority in the state is recommending an ambitious package of pro-development, supply-side policy changes to mitigate the cost of housing in the state.
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.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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