Urban water systems generally aren't responding to the California drought by suspending new water connections, as they did in past drought years like 1991. What are the implications?
As this year’s drought deepens, urban water systems are in general keeping new hookups available. Not necessarily because there's more water, but thanks to improvements over the past two decades in planning and connectivity. People do still ask where the water's coming from for new large developments. It seems possible, however, that drinking-water supply for expanding urban footprints may have lost some visibility in development debates.
FULL STORY: California Planning & Development Report

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.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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