Japan's Mt. Fuji, Italy's Medici Villas and Gardens, and a historical port town in Fiji are among the 19 new additions to UNESCO's vaunted World Heritage List; bringing to 981 the number of cultural, natural, and mixed sites comprising the list.
"During its 37th session in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed 19 sites to its World Heritage List, which includes notable destinations such as Yellowstone National Park and the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador," reports the Los Angeles Times' travel blog. Additions to the list include the historic core of Agadez, in Niger, which dates to the 15th century and "is characterized by mudbrick architecture, including the Grand Mosque", and 64 square miles of rice terraces in the province of Yunnan in southern China, which have been "developed over 1,300 years by the Hani people."
As the article notes, "[b]esides prestige and tourism, inscription offers opportunities for preservation aid."
FULL STORY: 19 sites inscribed to UNESCO World Heritage list

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.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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