Un-plain Ways To Reinvent The Plains

In the search for a new vision for vanishing heartland, rural towns consider digital hubs, wind farms, and a 'buffalo commons'.

1 minute read

February 14, 2003, 6:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


" Seven years ago, this isolated oil and ranching community staked a claim to the digital frontier. It wired itself with advanced telecommunications, advertised on the Internet, and waited for droves of info-entrepreneurs to come and set up shop. But a funny thing happened on the way to the future. The droves never came.... Technology alone can't save the heartland. What it needs is a new vision, a new way of defining itself that can rally its residents, corral their energies, and appeal to the rest of America."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Friday, February 14, 2003 in The Christian Science Monitor

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Front of White House with stormy sky above.

How the Trump Presidency Could Impact Urban Planning

An analysis of potential changes in federal housing, transportation, and climate policies.

January 19, 2025 - Planetizen

Close-up of person on bike wearing backpack riding on city street.

Research Affirms Safety of ‘Idaho Stop’

Allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs does not negatively impact safety and can help people on bikes more effectively navigate roadways.

January 14, 2025 - Streetsblog California

String lights across an alley in Cranford, New Jersey at night.

Midburbs: A New Definition of Suburbs

When the name “suburb” just doesn't quite fit.

January 17, 2025 - Gabe Bailer - PP - AICP - NJ Urbanthinker

Aerial view of residential buildings in Koreatown, Los Angeles with downtown skyline in background

The Urban Heat Divide: Addressing LA’s Thermal Inequities

LA's thermal inequities leave low-income, minority neighborhoods disproportionately hotter and more vulnerable, prompting advocacy and policy efforts to address these disparities through green infrastructure and equitable climate investments.

January 21 - Los Angeles Downtown News

View of black oil wells behind chain link fence with barbed wire top

Healing the Land: Collaborative Effort to Reclaim Orphan Well Sites

The Well Done Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are partnering to plug over 110 orphan wells across four National Wildlife Refuges, restoring habitats, protecting ecosystems, and reducing methane emissions.

January 21 - PRNewswire

Aerial view of insula ruins in Ostia, near Rome, Italy.

The Apartment Through History

The humble apartment, as a typology, has been with us for millennia.

January 21 - JSTOR Daily