Wonkblog illustrates the results of a "Natural Amenities Index" created by the federal government.
Christopher Ingraham shares insight into the Natural Amenities Index, created in the late 1990s by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to measure physical characteristics that enhance locations as a place to live.
According to Ingraham, "[t]he index combines 'six measures of climate, topography, and water area that reflect environmental qualities most people prefer.' Those qualities, according to the USDA, include mild, sunny winters, temperate summers, low humidity, topographic variation, and access to a body of water."
Ingraham took the data available in the index turned them into an interactive map, noting that California and Colorado do pretty well in the index, while "the lowest rankings clustered around the Minnesota/North Dakota border region."
Read the full story: Every county in America, ranked by natural beauty
Oregon cities are excluding a key tool that could help their housing goals: maps
An effort to use geospatial analysis to understand how housing and access to opportunity are distributed in Oregon cities has largely stalled.
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
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LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority