Interested in tracing the development of everything from urban bike lanes to national parks to rocket test sites?
Kriston Capps tips readers off to the MapStory app, which, according to Capps, "aims to give users the means to map the development of every municipality on the planet." MapStory accomplishes that laudable goal by "[collating] city records that span centuries, colonies, wars, and states…."
MapStory is funded by an OpenGov grant from the Sunlight Foundation, and "users are taking MapStory beyond its initial goals of mapping the states of New York and also California, where they've collected data for a whole mess of that state's cities."
Read the full story: One Mapping Service to Rule Them All
Take an Online Tour of Historic Prince George's County, Maryland
You don't have to be a fan of Prince George's County to be a fan of the historical maps and geographic insight on the online Prince George's Atlas.
Friday Eye Candy: USGS Launches Historical Topographic Map Explorer
A new tool, released in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey and Esri, provides easy access to historical maps from all over the country, featuring a timeline to easily select maps from different eras.
Oregon cities are excluding a key tool that could help their housing goals: maps
An effort to use geospatial analysis to understand how housing and access to opportunity are distributed in Oregon cities has largely stalled.
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.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority