The public is providing feedback on the city of St. Paul's first-ever Pedestrian Plan.
"Despite slick and snowy conditions, a handful of residents showed up [earlier this month] for a public hearing to round out the public comment period on St. Paul’s first-ever Pedestrian Plan [pdf]," reports Cinnamon Janzer.
St Paul released the draft of the pedestrian plan in late 2018 as a potentially game-changing document for the future of walking in the city. Janzer provides context:
As the Monitor St. Paul reported, a majority of the city’s 1,080 miles of sidewalks are in poor condition because only six to eight miles are replaced each year. Additionally, the city has 330 miles of sidewalk gaps to contend with as well. Mayor Melvin Carter’s 2019 budget has almost doubled last year’s spending, earmarking $1 million for sidewalks.
According to Janzer, the plan is expected to appear before the City Council at a public hearing in March.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.