Taking office on a promise of fiscal responsibility, scandal-plagued mayor Rob Ford threatens Toronto’s reputation and future prosperity. Adam Giambrone shares insights from some of Toronto’s business leaders and financial experts.
"...Turning [Toronto] into the butt of a worldwide joke could cut dangerously into the city’s prosperity," writes Adam Giambrone. "It’s a strange turn of events for a mayor who electioneered on his business smarts, uses fiscal responsibility as his calling card and deems himself a champion of job creation."
“Toronto has reasonable taxes, an educated workforce, good proximity to markets and decent infrastructure," he continues, "but Ford’s travails are creating a sense of crisis and instability, and the longer that goes on, the more unattractive [Toronto will] become.”
"Objectively, the mayor’s activities – from murder-threat rants to drunken stupors – should not affect investments, but there are always factors in decision-making, my sources say, that aren’t based only on hard facts."
FULL STORY: Ford Factor: We will all end up paying an economic price for the mayor’s lack of integrity

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.

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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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.
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Planetizen
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Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service