After years of having pent up, underutilized urban planning energy, West Sacramento's new City Manager finally gets the chance to practice planning, and encounters nothing but success and praises along the way.
West Sacramento is a "small city with big problems--a rundown waterfront, squabbling politicians, prostitutes and seedy motels....But for Toby Ross, an urban planner with a Ph.D...West Sacramento is a little slice of heaven." It has been a little over a year since he was hired, and Mr. Ross has already become "the City Council's point man for the city's most difficult and long-standing problems," and a skilled negotiator. "But West Sacramento leaders say the city manager's biggest challenge may be meeting residents' expectations."
Thanks to Connie Chung
FULL STORY: Urban woes? Bring 'em on

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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.
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