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.
The City of Broken Sidewalks
Can Los Angeles fix 4,000 miles of broken sidewalks before the city hosts the 2028 Olympic Games?
Shifts in Shopping: Transforming Malls Into Parks
Maybe zombie malls still have a second life — one with a little greenery.
Major US Cities Still Suffering Downtown Decline
Research shows that the “donut effect” hollowing out central business districts since the pandemic continues to cause economic decline in the 12 largest American cities.
San Francisco Tops ‘Urban Mobility Readiness’ List
An annual analysis of global cities assesses public transit, technology, and sustainability.
Bike-Mounted Sensor Could Improve Safety for Cyclists
A new camera technology can detect when vehicles pass too close to people on bikes.
GM Nixes Robotaxi Division
The company suspended the Cruise self-driving taxi service late last year after a vehicle struck and seriously injured a pedestrian.
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.
City of Prescott
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Village of Glen Ellyn
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
CORP - COnsulting Research Projects
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
Rockdale County Board of Commissioners