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.
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