Top 25 Planning Stories in the U.S. and Worldwide (1978–2003)

1. This first and only meltdown of a nuclear reactor core in American history occurs at Three Mile Island south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It created a negative public opinion climate that the nuclear energy industry has been unable to overcome, despite rising dependence on fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming. (March 1979)

2. Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan lends support to so-called "Sagebrush Rebels" and pledges, if elected, "to work toward a 'sagebrush solution' ... to ensure that states have an equitable share of public lands and their natural resources." During the next two decades, the movement grows to involve issues addressing not only states rights but also individual property rights. (1980)

3. UNESCO continues designating World Heritage Cities, some of which include Brasilia, Kyoto, Bath, Ankgor, and Quebec City. The special recognition helps draw attention to the importance history and culture play in the development of great cities. (1982)

4. High interest rates, along with other economic conditions and lender fraud, precipitate the worst U.S. banking crisis since the Great Depression. Before it is all over in 1991, some 2,700 banks fail, including 25 percent of all savings and loan banks in the country. Total losses are approximately $240 billion. (1984)

5. The National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution sponsors the first National Forum on Biodiversity. The keynote speaker is Dr. Edward O. Wilson from Harvard. The Forum calls attention to the accelerating loss of plant and animal species in response to pressure from increasing human population and economic development. For planners, the Forum underscores the work of Ian McHarg and other leaders who stressed the need for good long-range planning to help conserve and protect natural resources, environmental quality, and endangered species habitat. (September 1986)

6 The fall of the Iron Curtain marks the end of the Soviet Union and opens Eastern Europe to decentralized community planning. (1989)

7. In less than 15 seconds, the Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco causes more than $5.9 billion in public and private property damage. Although a relatively moderate earthquake (6.9 on the Richter Scale), the damage is severe: 23,408 homes and 3,530 businesses are damaged; 1,018 homes and 366 businesses are destroyed. Total estimated direct economic loss is valued at more than $5.9 billion. Of the approximately 12,000 housing units that were lost or severely damaged, 7,000 were rental units and 4,500 were affordable units. (October 1989)

8. Australia's Land Care movement reaches a critical point, prompting the Australian Conservation Foundation and National Farmers' Federation to issue a joint call for spending $340 million over 10 years to address land degradation. Experts conclude the land crisis, if not addressed, could reduce agricultural and pastoral production in Australia by more than $525 million a year. (February 1989)

9. A historic United Nations summit on the environment in Rio de Janeiro results in the Rio Accord. A forward-looking global approach to planning, "Agenda 21," is adopted as part of the Rio Accord. However, little awareness or attention is paid to this planning approach in the United States. (1992)

10. Hurricane Andrew , the most destructive and expensive hurricane ever to hit the United States, rips across South Florida. More than 125,000 homes and businesses are damaged or destroyed. Estimated value of all losses is $26.5 billion. The hurricane becomes a stark reminder to coastal and other communities about the importance of pre- and post-disaster mitigation planning. (August 1992)

11. The National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing finds there are 86,000 severely distressed units nationally. To eradicate the situation by 2000, the Commission recommends reversing past federal policies that led to free-standing, public housing communities in order to integrate public and subsidized housing into areas with market-rate housing. The Chicago Housing Authority is among the first agencies to receive federal grants to implement the new policy. (1992)

12. The Upper Midwest has the wettest June and July since 1895, and the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers overflow their banks. Damage reaches $12 billion, making this the most costly flood in U.S. history. The emergency causes some communities to be completely relocated, while others undergo partial relocation and extensive mitigation. The flooding underscores the need for communities to plan for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. (1993)

13. President Bill Clinton signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which previously had been supported by the Reagan and Bush administrations. NAFTA will play a critical role in planning and economic development decisions involving manufacturing plants and related activities. Vehement opposition by protesters sets the stage for later and more organized opposition to World Trade Organization proposals. (1994)

14. Recognizing the need for base data in order to fully utilize the capabilities of geographical information systems (GIS), President Bill Clinton signs an executive order establishing the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). An earlier milestone occurred in 1988, when the U.S. Census Bureau released the first Topographically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) digital data products. (1994)

15. Support for traditional neighborhood development, transit-oriented development, and pedestrian-friendly community design, which is discussed and practiced thoughout the U.S. during the 1970s, increases during the 1980s. In 1993, work begins to distill these practices into a set of principles, which are adopted as the Charter of the New Urbanism. (1996)

16. Protocol setting standards to reduce greenhouse gases are reached in Kyoto, Japan. Opposition by the United States and its refusal to participate undermine the effect the accord could have in reducing impacts of global warming, which is caused by burning fossil fuels. (1997)

17. Construction is completed on the largest of several power dams on China's Yangtze River. Once the Three Gorges Reservoir is full, more than 100 towns covering 395 square miles will be inundated. This will require the resettlement of 1.2 million Chinese. The long-term environmental impacts of the project, which involves 26 hydropower turbines, are unknown. (1997)

18. The U.S. Census finds that the proportion of foreign-born persons reaches 11.1 percent, the highest level since 1930. The new wave of immigration is changing how communities plan and develop, given that more immigrants are moving to suburban locations than to cities. (2000)

19. The country's median age is 35.3 years, the oldest it has ever been, according to U.S. Census figures. The change is driven by the country's aging Baby Boomers. During the next 50 years, the five to one ratio of working Americans to retired Americans will decline to two to one. The trend has major implications for how communities will be planned over the next several decades in order to meet the needs of an older population, most of whom are expected to remain living where they currently reside (aging in place). (2000)

20. Population increases throughout the western U.S. during the past 20 years lead to residential development in fire-prone areas known as the "wildland-urban interface." Severe droughts and other factors during the summer result in record-setting wildfires that burn more than 6.5 million acres of land. (2000)

21. People take 9.4 billion trips on U.S. trains, buses, and trolleys, the highest peak in annual ridership in more than 40 years. In 2001, the figure reaches 9.7 billion trips. Contributing to the upward trend are a strong economy, improved customer service, and higher levels of public and private investment in public transportation. (2000-2001)

22. An analysis by the American Planning Association of federal National Resources Inventory data shows that between 1982 and 1997, West Virginia and Kentucky had the greatest change in the amount of developed land on a per capita basis. The study suggests that even states with modest population growth face difficulties resulting from sprawl. (2001)

23. More than 4,000 people from the New York region, the U.S., and around the world participate in Imagine New York, a special project of the Municipal Art Society to obtain public input about rebuilding the World Trade Center. The effort includes facilitated workshops, a special website, and ongoing opportunities for public involvement as planning for the site and Lower Manhattan continues. (March 2002)

24. A national report finds that people who live in areas with the most urban sprawl are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study looked at health characteristics of 200,000 individuals in 448 major metropolitan area counties. (August 2003)

25. The most complex and expensive ($14.6 billion) highway project ever undertaken in the United States, Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project — commonly known as the "Big Dig" — opens to northbound traffic in March and southbound traffic in December. Design of the new highway system, most of which is either underground or underwater, enables downtown Boston to reconnect with its waterfront neighborhoods and historic North End. (2003)