The Detroit News
Light Rail Proposal Moves Forward

July 16, 2008 Plans for a light rail system in Detroit progressed this week when a regional planning group green-lighted the proposed development. Officials with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments approved a Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) plan to construct and operate light rail service on Woodward Avenue between downtown and Eight Mile.

"This is an important step toward the establishment of a reliable rail transportation system that will assist Detroiters in getting to and from their destinations," Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said in a statement. "This approval of DDOT's rail project will also multiply economical opportunities for business growth." Check out Detroit Light Rail for the rest of the story.

Video: Net Neutrality

Source: Public Knowledge

Maryland Launches New Website for Public Access to Comprehensive Plans

Maryland Department Of Planning

This new website is responsive to Governor O’Malley’s initiative to provide Marylanders open access to the workings of state government and the public process. Providing access to these plans, also known as master plans or master development plans, makes a somewhat complicated and often closed process more open to the general public. This site explains what comprehensive plans are, how they are adopted, the importance to Smart Growth and the role of the State in the process. Click here to visit the Site

To view the press release (11/13/07) click here

New Online Fourum for Kansas Planners

If your at all familiar with the Cyburbia Forums, the functionality of this new site will be familiar too.

Kansas Chapter of the American Planning Association Forums

Can USGS Compete with Google Earth?

The National Map (http://nationalmap.gov/), "The nations' topographic map for the 21st century", is an online, interactive map service provided by the United States Geographical Survey (USGS). The National Map provides public access to high-quality, geospatial data and information from multiple partners to help support decisionmaking by resource managers and the public. The National Map is the product of a consortium of Federal, State, and local partners who provide geospatial data to enhance America's ability to access, integrate, and apply geospatial data at global, national, and local scales.