State parks are introducing adaptive mobility devices to help more visitors enjoy natural spaces.

Writing in Governing, Tom Peterson outlines the effort states are making to make more parks and cultural resources accessible to residents with mobility challenges.
“In Minnesota, such efforts got a significant boost earlier this year when legislators funded the Department of Natural Resources’ $149.9 million Get Out MORE (Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences) initiative.” Visitors who want to see the Split Rock Lighthouse can now borrow all-terrain chairs that make Pebble Beach, a popular vista point, accessible to wheelchair users.
States including Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa have launched similar initiatives to provide adaptive equipment and facilities like track chairs, cross-country sit skis, and modified kayak launches. “Some state parks also offer chairs that bring visitors onto beaches or even into the water. In several Massachusetts state parks, for example, visitors can use four-wheeled sunbathing chairs on the beach, or three-wheeled floating chairs in the ocean.”
The article adds, “As much as technological gains and new programs help, experts and advocates said improving access does not always require major expenditures. In reaching a community that long had no or limited access to outdoors recreation, communication is vital” to ensure people are aware of the mobility options available to them.
FULL STORY: States Spend Millions to Make Parks, Trails More Accessible

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland