We can now watch 6,000 years of urban settlements and movements unfold on our computer screens.

Kanishk Tharoor shares news of recent research, published in the journal Scientific Data, that "transcribed and geocoded nearly 6,000 years of data (from 3700BC to AD2000)" to create the a "digitised database of city populations through world history."
In fact, "[t]he resulting dataset – available for free online – bills itself as 'a first step towards understanding the geographic distribution of urban populations throughout history and around the world'."
As these things work nowadays, that research allowed an intrepid blogger to create a visualization of all that data, which is also free to watch at the Metrocosm website.
FULL STORY: The rise and fall of great world cities: 5,700 years of urbanisation – mapped

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie