A contest inspired by 'SimCity' gives middle-schoolers a taste of the complexities of city planning -- and the fun of making a perfect place
"There's no telling how the careers of Adam Meyer, Cory Li and Samantha Powers will evolve, but in recent weeks they've gotten a pretty good taste of what it might be like to be a civil engineer, urban planner or city manager." "The trio of seventh-graders, along with collaborators, represented Raleigh's Ligon Middle School in North Carolina's first Future City competition. The contest uses the computer game "SimCity 3000" to warm students up to the idea of designing and building a city."
Thanks to Christian Peralta
FULL STORY: Fun city -- serious learning

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

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

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.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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Planning for Universal Design
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