Regional Plan Association (RPA) President Robert D. Yaro "will retire at the end of this year, after 25 years at the urban-planning organization," according to the RPA's blog in a post late last week.
According to an announcement last week, Robert Yaro will leave the RPA after 25 years at the organization and retire at the end of the year.
The blog credits Yaro with leading the RPA through the following initiatives: "Under Mr. Yaro, RPA...played a role in planning for the creation of the JFK AirTrain connecting the LIRR and subway to the airport. RPA has conducted in-depth research on the Northeast rail corridor, calling attention to the dangers of deferring maintenance. And working with the organization’s civic partners, Mr. Yaro has led RPA’s continuing efforts to campaign for a new Penn Station, culminating in 2013 with a vote by the New York City Council that rejected Madison Square Garden’s bid for a permanent lease atop the transit hub."
As for who will succeed Yaro in the role: "The executive committee of RPA’s board of directors has unanimously recommended that RPA Executive Director Thomas K. Wright succeed Mr. Yaro as president."
H/T to Henry Melcher at The Architect's Newspaper for sharing the news of the RPA's announcement.
FULL STORY: RPA President Bob Yaro to Retire

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie