An Indian columnist offers his perspective on California's fires and city-slicking deer.
"It might seem inconceivable that a country as advanced as the United States is unable to control something as elementary - elemental? -- as forest fires Initial theories suggest arson But the manner in which the fires spread tells a story of both man's hubris and nature's wrath...Much of this has to do with the suburbanization of America. Despite the vastness of the US, a country three times as large as India with a third of its population, Americans have been encroaching steadily upon nature's reserves...Sometimes, it would seem America's pioneering spirit makes no allowance for nature...A columnist for [the Washington Post] was driving with his family when his car hit a deer in one of the many Bambi-prone areas outside Washington...His solution? The 'critters' were better served as someone's dinner."
Thanks to David Gest
FULL STORY: Fire fights and Bambi blues

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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.
City of Albany
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