Agricultural land is vanishing fast in this western Michigan county as new homes, roads, and sprawl reach farther into the countryside.
Approximately 32 percent of Kent County's 547,840 acres is used foragriculture. But it's vanishing fast in this western Michigan county asnew homes, stores, roads, and sprawl reach ever farther into thecountryside. Now Kent County officials are proposing a plan to protect93,000 acres over the next decade, one of the most ambitious farmlandprotection programs in the nation. If the proposed plan provessuccessful,reports the Institute's Andy Guy, it will preserve approximately 17percent for crops and livestock. But a vigorous opposition campaign isunderway.
Thanks to Keith Schneider
FULL STORY: In Kent County, Stirring A Plan To Protect Farmland
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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.
Placer County
Mayors' Institute on City Design
City of Sunnyvale
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), the Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP)
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
City of Portland, ME
Baton Rouge Area Foundation