Researchers continue to verify the health benefits of walkable neighborhoods. Most recently researchers at Kansas University found benefits that communities can use to ensure the quality of life of aging residents.

"New study results from the University of Kansas to be presented this weekend at the Gerontological Society of America’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., bolster the adage that 'heart healthy is brain healthy,'" according to a press release from the University of Kansas.
Here is the key point about the finding: "The investigation shows neighborhoods that motivate walking can stave off cognitive decline in older adults."
Here's how the press release describes the study's methodology: "The KU researcher [Amber Watts] and her colleagues used the space syntax data to estimate a 'walkability score' for subjects' home addresses. Then they estimated the relationship between people's neighborhood scores and their performance on cognitive tests over two years, factoring in issues like age, gender, education and wealth, that might influence people’s cognitive scores independently of neighborhood characteristics."
FULL STORY: Research shows easy-to-walk communities can blunt cognitive decline

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.
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Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
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City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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Camden Redevelopment Agency
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