The City of Austin, Texas and its transformation from a oil and cattle town to a leading technopolis stands as a model for cities looking to strengthen and diversify their economy.
"Not everything is ideal in Austin. Like many fast-growing cities, it struggles with crowded highways and environmental pollution. But, for the most part, as Austin's salaries have soared, life has improved. Money in the pockets of residents, after all, solves many problems. Schools are good. Culture is thriving. All in a city that, just 10 years ago, had the highest vacancy rate of office space in the country, suffering schools and a brain drain as University of Texas residents fled town after they graduated. So what happened? Austin saw that it had problems. And leaders there fixed them."
Thanks to Christian Peralta
Read the full story: Austin's rebirth holds lessons for Orlando
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.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority