Architecture critic Aaron Betsky provides a new take urban dystopia: bland and homogenous. The antidote, he argues, can be found on the edges.

Aaron Betsky begins an article titled "Downtown Dystopia" by riffing on the recent Occupy Hong Kong protests: "Separate from the politics of the occurrence, it makes me wonder whether the notion that the city core is still a place of vibrancy we need to put all our money on as the hope for urbanity is really true."
Threatening the great dream of urbanity renewed, according to Betsky, is all that is banal:
"[The city core] seems to be under attack by blandness and homogenization, rather than just by the suburbanization. People might be moving back to downtowns, as they are here in Cincinnati, but only if and when it is safe, and only if it means that they can gather at Starbucks and shop at Whole Foods. The social mix is going away just as quickly as the yuppies arrive, as are retail and any sense of difference between different cities."
Betsky cites the example of Mecca and Las Vegas as faltering models of urban revitalization before recounting a personal anecdote from a recent trip to three European cities when he was struck by "the continued march of sameness."
Betsky's argument, in response to these conditions, is to focus on the "Brooklynization of our edges," or, as he describes it, "the development of vibrant cores or just moments of diversity away from our dead and deadening downtowns."
FULL STORY: Downtown Dystopia

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.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont