There's a rare opportunity to rebuild the Gulf Coast region in such a way that it will succeed on all levels -- but the right plans have to be in place before building begins.
"Many of those whose homes and businesses were destroyed are anxious to rebuild exactly what they had before the storms, and resume their former lifestyles. But what of those less fortunate, whose pre-hurricane lives were a hand-to-mouth existence in squalid housing, with few of the benefits that many low-to-moderate income Americans are able to enjoy? Should the same ghettos be rebuilt, consigning their inhabitants to the same neglect as before? Or is there a better way to rebuild humane environments, with good access to jobs and health care, and to schools that are as good as those in more affluent neighborhoods? Who should decide what and where to rebuild?
These are questions that require careful study by experts in sociology, planning, architecture, education, health care and transportation, but only after the experts have a dialogue with the people whose lives will be affected. Is there a process that can allow all of this to happen?"
FULL STORY: Let's all imagine a new and very livable Gulf Coast
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism
After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.
Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras
The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.
Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum
Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.
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.
Ada County Highway District
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service