Florida

Miami Beach: A Four-Foot High Barrier Island Awaited Irma
A city of almost 92,000 people sits on a one-mile wide island designed by nature to protect the mainland from ocean swells, storms, and hurricanes. The seven-mile long island, which floods even when sunny, was spared from catastrophic storm surge.

Climate Negligence in Florida?
In advance of Hurricane Irma's landfall in Florida, Governor Rick Scott worked non-stop urging residents to leave mandatory evacuation zones. But what has he done to prepare since he took office in 2011?

Houston Flooding: Climate Change or Development Patterns to Blame?
The Guardian's former environmental editor asks if urban sprawl is as much to blame as climate change for the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston.

Florida Prepares for Irma: Building Codes, Cranes, Evacuation, Storm Surge
As Irma leaves the Caribbean and heads for Florida, with landfall expected this weekend, there is a lot to worry about: New building codes will be put to test, fuel to evacuate is in short supply, and cranes have not been dismantled.

Caribbean Islands Brace for Irma as Florida Prepares
As Houston and East Texas recover from Hurricane Harvey, an even stronger hurricane has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, headed to the Caribbean Sea, and likely Florida by this weekend, though there is uncertainty where it goes next.

Subsidized Uber Rides to Transit Stations Now Available in Five Florida Cities
Altamonte Springs was the first to subsidize Uber rides connecting to transit stations, in March 2016. Now Lake Mary, Longwood, Maitland, and Sanford join the ranks of this unique public-private partnership.

Climate Change Impacts at the County Level
A recent study lends new specificity of the human cost and economic damage wreaked by climate change in the coming decades.
County Gas Taxes at Work in Florida
The Jacksonville City Council's decision in 2014 to renew a six-cents county gas tax is paying big dividends for road construction in Duvall County, Florida. Every county in Florida has a gas tax from five cents to a maximum 11.9 cents per gallon.

A Hurricane in Tampa Bay Could Surpass Katrina's Destruction
It's been a century since a hurricane larger than category three has scored a direct hit on the Tampa Bay region. If a storm arrives to change that streak of luck, it will find a region severly underprepared to deal with the effects of sea-level rise

Tampa Bay's HART Bus System will Lose 20 Percent of its Routes
Cuts mean an already meager transit service will cover less of the sprawling Hillsburough County Community.

Lyft Partnering With Amtrak for First-Last Mile Connections
Amtrak is partnering with Lyft to offer train passengers a discounted option for first and last mile needs. New Lyft riders qualify for a $5 savings on each of their first four rides.

Miami Mayor Rescinds Rail Investment Promises
Mayor Gimenez is citing frugality as the reason behind a decision that favors bus rapid transit over an earlier proposal for new rail lines.

Orlando's Edgewater Drive: A Safer Street Through Lane Reduction
Its easy to criticize Florida, one of the deadliest states for pedestrians, however progress is being made through collaborative approaches between local citizens and their municipal officials.

The Present And Future State Of Bike Share Systems In Florida
A quick run down of Florida's existing bike share programs and a look at what's coming in 2017.

Transit Agencies Move Toward Electric Buses
Transit agencies from Washington to Florida are beginning to make the switch from diesel and natural gas-powered buses to battery electric buses, some faster than others.

David Beckham's Big Idea: A New Soccer Stadium in Miami, With Zero Parking Spaces
A group led by David Beckham is working to build a stadium in Miami that would house a Major League Soccer team. There are two twists (besides Becks): the stadium would require zero public financing and the stadium would build zero parking.

The Most Dangerous Highway in Each State
Florida is infamous for the lack of safety on its roads. A new interactive graphic of the nation's most dangerous highways does nothing to dispel that reputation.

Finding a Way to Bike in Orlando
Improvements in street design and bike infrastructure make life easier on bikers in car-centric Orlando, but employers and politicians could do more in the city to get commuters out of their cars.

Florida Doubles Down on Property Tax Break for Solar
The Florida Legislature has delivered a bill to Gov. Rick Scott's desk that would end property taxes on solar panels in the state of Florida for all commercial and industrial uses.

Miami-Dade Considering Bus Service Cuts as Ridership Drops
Transit planners at the county of Miami-Dade in Florida are asking permission to reroute and discontinue bus routes from the county bus system.
Pagination
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.
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA)
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