The benefits of authentic community are extensive. Maybe even transcendent. But how do we get to that point? Scott Doyon's latest blog has a few thoughts.
"Looking at the types of neighborhoods ... where many if not most people lack the option of just buying their way out of their problems — should tell us something."
"When we need each other we naturally organize ourselves in particular ways. Those ways work, from a purely functional standpoint. But they also work on a deeper level. By bringing us closer and enabling the give-and-take of daily human negotiation, they also make us something more. Something better."
"There’s the idea of community as it’s often presented in marketing literature and then there’s this. When people say they yearn for community, whether they realize it or not, this is what they’re pining for."
Scott Doyon references Kristen Jeffers of the Black Urbanist and Michael Harriot's The Caucasian's Guide to Black Neighborhoods to broach this subject, and then looks at sharing economy tools like Josephine to talk about alternative approaches to community building.
FULL STORY: Achieving Community: Let’s get real

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.

Test News Post 1
This is a summary

Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.

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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service