A local Tea Party type is making a passionate pitch for what his group considers Constitutional guarantees against government planning, and I get this deju vu tug. I’ve been here before. I’VE BEEN THIS BEFORE.
"Parents, successful managers of businesses and non-profits, people who work to improve lives in neighborhoods and towns all know that 'Do your own thing' is a lousy mission statement. Rather than freeing us, prioritizing individual liberty over every other value deprives us of opportunities to influence the forces of disruptive change with the power of community.
"Polarizing the discussion by declaring, 'You’re either part of the solution, or you’re part of the problem,' ignores the range of trade-offs every human, every organization and every community must make every day. It’s a mandate for paralysis."
Ben Brown compares Tea Party types with Hippies, draws some interesting, self-effacing parallels, and asks what we all might learn from each other.
FULL STORY: Tea Party Taps Hippie Wisdom: How’s that working out?
Honoring Intuition at Today's Tea Party
How communication based on emotion and intuition, rather than reason, may be the key to peaceful coexistence with Tea Partiers and Agenda 21ers.
Lessons from the Pandemic: Housing, Retail, Broadband
Second in a series of conversations about what comes next in local government policies and processes, this time between Geoff Koski and Ben Brown on housing, retail, and broadband
After the Plague: Go Big or Go Backwards?
Among unwelcome lessons of COVID-19 is growing evidence of what was already broken in politics and business. Ben Brown looks at making bold changes in order to improve the lives of the left out and left behind.
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.
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.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie