California's Department of Parks and Recreation is getting into the app business. It is hoped that CaliParks will help improve access to the state's parks for young people and minorities.

California is trying to draw people outdoors with the same technology keeping many of them in. "CaliParks is a web-based data-visualization app with information about the state's 12,000 national, regional, and urban parks, which collectively encompass more than 1.6 million acres. Besides letting users filter parks by distance and recreational activities — as well as peruse maps — the app also integrates crowdsourced images from Flickr and Instagram so you can creep on other people's great time outdoors."
The app's developers want to lessen the distance between digital community and the natural world. "In addition to enticing minorities, the app also hopes to remind young people that being outdoors and being online aren't contradictory. By harnessing social media, the app aims to tear down the walls separating parks from the rest of the world (figuratively speaking) and create a more interactive visitor experience."
CaliParks and the Parks Forward commission want to demystify and de-mythologize the outdoors. "For its part, the Parks Forward Commission wants us to stop thinking of parks as 'wilderness cathedrals' and more like 'one of those small churches in South L.A. where people go every weekend,' in the words of commission member Manuel Pastor."
FULL STORY: New App Reminds Us State Parks Aren't Just for White People

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

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

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.

In California Battle of Housing vs. Environment, Housing Just Won
A new state law significantly limits the power of CEQA, an environmental review law that served as a powerful tool for blocking new development.

Boulder Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide
Officials estimate the cost of building a single underground parking space at up to $100,000.

Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code
The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont