Smart City's weekly radio show features the organizer of the famous "Burning Man" project, and how festivals build community.
Larry Harvey is the founder and executive director of "Burning Man," the project founded on a San Francisco beach in 1986 that has grown into the annual making of a town called Black Rock City in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.In addition to chairing Burning Mans senior staff, Larry co-chairs the organizations Art Department, scripts and co-curates Burning Mans annual art theme and collaborates with artists in creating aspects of the art theme and the design of Black Rock City.Larry lectures on subjects as diverse as art, religion, civic planning and the rise of cyber-culture in the era of the Internet.Diana Parker is Director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival - an annual cultural presentation on the National Mall that attracts more than a million visitors over a 10-day period. She has worked on the Festival since 1975.She has served as a consultant on the presentation of living culture to an array of public events including the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games - Cultural Olympiad, the Smithsonian 150th Birthday Party on the Mall, the Los Angeles Festival, and every public presidential inaugural celebration since Carter's in 1976.Sheila Hughes is the Festival Producer of the popular Bumbershoot, the annual Labor Day weekend festival in Seattle. She also in charge of marketing and design with One Reel, a Northwest nonprofit arts organization trying to make an impact on arts audiences and have fun doing it.Founded in 1972, One Reel's mission is to invigorate broad and diverse live audiences through imaginative and creative arts events of all disciplines in traditional and non-traditional venues. One Reel produces arts events in collaboration with a wide spectrum of artists of all traditions and cultures. Listen Sunday, 9 a.m. on the WKNO-FM Stations and again Tuesday, 9 a.m. Or you can hear the show streamed live on the Web.
Thanks to Sheila Edmundson
FULL STORY: Celebrating Community at Summer Festivals

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

New York State Budget Includes $68B MTA Capital Plan, Boosts Transit Security
The state’s FY26 budget includes increased investment in transit security, mental health services, and fare evasion enforcement.

Local Governments Sue HUD Over Funding Cuts
A new lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration’s revised guidelines for housing and homelessness assistance funds will decimate key programs.

California Is Retooling its AV Guidelines
The California DMV is proposing a new framework for light- and heavy-duty self-driving trucks that would enhance reporting requirements and pave the way for autonomous commercial fleets.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions