Rock-mining will have an "irreversible significant impact" on the Florida Everglades. Then why is it considered to be a "key element" in a plan to restore the fragile ecosystem?
The 'Lake Belt' mining plan is the starkest evidence that Everglades restoration is not just about restoring the Everglades. It calls for the Corps to wait until the rock pits are mined out in 35 years or so, then spend $1 billion to convert two of them into huge storage reservoirs: one for drinking water and additional flows to Biscayne National Park and one for Everglades National Park. The premise is that sacrificing Everglades fringes as big as the city of Miami can help save the ecosystem... In many ways, the Lake Belt plan is a microcosm of all that is questionable about America's largest, most complex and least understood environmental project."
Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan
Read the full story: Between Rock and a Hard Place
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Alabama scores up to $2.5 billion federal loan for largest infrastructure project in state’s history
The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project aims to ease congestion at Alabama’s worst bottleneck.
Novel study finds extreme state-by-state disparity in housing construction timelines
The first comprehensive working paper on U.S. construction timelines also found that the permitting process for multi-family projects has slowed nationwide.
California may destroy its beaches trying to save homes from El Niño
Boulders and seawalls can protect homes from waves, but ultimately destroy sandy beaches.
California high-speed rail accomplishes only one legislative goal in 2026
The majority of the agency's failed pitches were never developed into written proposals.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello