With the Tampa Bay area barely recovering from a 4-year drought, and even tighter water restrictions imposed last month, residents complain that they are forced to conserve while developers build more homes.
On July 24th, Hillsborough County Commissioners will discuss a temporary halt to new construction in response to lawn watering bans in eastern and southern Hillsborough. The County adopted the ban at the insistence of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which accused the County of wasting water. The ban applies to a wellfield not connected to the rest of the regional water system run by Tampa Bay Water. The County's agreement with Tampa Bay Water stipulates that the regional utility must provide as much water as Hillsborough needs. Technically, the county should never run out of water. But a moratorium is obviously popular with residents. According to an e-mail from resident Claude Fortin, "Conservation measures by residents in our part of the county will never keep pace with the water use required for new homes."
Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg
FULL STORY: A Moratorium On Development? It's Time To Talk

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie