The relative calm of the last decade may be luring hundreds of thousands of new coastal residents into a false sense of comfort.
When a major hurricane next strikes — and it will — it will very likely hit an area that is even more vulnerable to destruction, with a large group of new residents who might have no experience with extremes of high winds and water,” writes Houston transplant Matt Lanza.
The Houston-Galveston area has welcomed over 800,000 new residents since it's last major hurricane struck in 2008. Since Hurricane Andrew devastated Southeast Florida in 1992, 1.6 million people have moved there.
Meteorologists say that major hurricanes are inevitable, despite the highly unusual streak of misses and near-misses that the coastal regions have experienced of late. They fear that new residents may not have the necessary perspective to comprehend and respond to the dangers. After all, Hurricane Sandy wasn't even categorized as a hurricane by the time it hit the heavily populated New York/New Jersey coastline. A Category 3 hurricane could bring swift destruction to inexperienced residents.
Read the full story: Tons Of People Are Moving To The Coast Amid A Lull In Hurricanes
Hurricane Ian: When to Evacuate?
The New York Times reported on September 30, two days after landfall, that the order to evacuate from Lee County, where more than half of all Florida deaths due to Hurricane Ian occurred, came later than the county's emergency plan required.
How ‘post-disaster gentrification’ alters neighborhoods after natural calamities
After hurricanes, fires or other calamities, the original residents of a community are often replaced by younger, wealthier residents.
Is the built environment partly to blame for population decline?
The way communities are designed could be contributing to lower birth rates.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
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
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
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 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