As urban sprawl intrudes into protected wildlife habitat, dangerous encounters with alligators are on the rise.
A fatal attack on 12-year-old Bryan Jeffrey Griffin in Lake County is a tragic reminder of how likely alligator run-ins have become. As more than 17 million Floridians venture into the gators' domain, building homes ever closer to almost every lake and river near open land, the chances of such deadly encounters continue to escalate. "What emerges very clearly is that Florida is the site of the most attacks and most fatalities, " said James Perran Ross, an alligator expert with the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. Florida has an estimated 1 million alligators. Louisiana has more, yet it has had only one attack and no documented fatalities, according to state wildlife officials. According to Noel Kinler, alligator program manager with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, "...most of our [alligator] habitat is separated from where people live."
Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg
FULL STORY: Alligators thrive, grow bolder
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
Downtown Los Angeles on the Rise: A Promising 2025
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Supporting Indigenous Land Reclamation Through Design
Harvard students collaborated with the Sac and Fox Nation to develop strategies for reclaiming and co-managing ancestral lands in Illinois, supporting Indigenous sovereignty through design, cultural storytelling, and economic planning.
A Plan to Expand Tree Canopy Across Dayton
Dayton is developing an urban forest master plan, using a $2 million grant to expand its tree canopy, address decades of tree loss, and enhance environmental equity across the city.
Decarbonizing Homes: The Case for Electrifying Residential Heating
A new MIT study finds that transitioning residential heating from natural gas to electric heat pumps can significantly reduce carbon emissions and operational costs.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research