The 'lamestream media' picks up the story of Tea Party activists railing against efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy.
In The New York Times, Leslie Kaufman and Kate Zernike report on efforts by activists associated with the Tea Party movement to block smart growth and green policies in states, cities, and town across the country. The activists see a grand conspiracy organized by the United Nations to 'deny property rights and herd citizens toward cities.'
And it's not just fringe elements that buy into the conspiracy. In January, the Republican National Committee passed a resolution proclaiming that, "The United Nations Agenda 21 plan of radical so-called ‘sustainable development' views the American way of life of private property ownership, single family homes, private car ownership and individual travel choices, and privately owned farms; all as destructive to the environment."
"'It sounds a little on the weird side, but we've found we ignore it at our own peril,' said George Homewood, a vice president of the American Planning Association's chapter in Virginia."
FULL STORY: Activists Fight Green Projects, Seeing U.N. Plot
Why Tea Party Criticism Should Matter to Planners
Andrew H. Whittemore contends that planners dismiss the far-fetched theories of a grand United Nations sustainability conspiracy at their own peril.
How Agenda 21 Trumps Planning
Agenda 21, a nonbinding United Nations resolution signed in 1992 by 170 world leaders, was developed to encourage "sustainable development." Now it’s a political talking point that kills planning efforts all over the country.
Advice on Responding To Tea Party Members Critical of Smart Growth
The year 2011 may be remembered by some as the year planners began fielding objections about smart growth from Tea Party supporters. Nathan Norris offers his four-step process for responding.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
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