A consulting planner in Maine contends that planners must balance the objectives of long-term aesthetics and short-term, cost-cutting technology. Read the Planning Practice Feature

The editor's introduction to this issue and a summary of the articles from his perspective. Read From the Editor

Can weather become a tradable commodity? British Journalist Robert Kelly explains the little-known weather derivative and how it might help rescue communities from weather-related costs. View the Safe Growth Supertopic Feature

Planners in Orange County, Florida, present lessons about managing growth within a large-scale, master-planned development.

Downtowns may not look like it, but they can be battlegrounds of social justice. Downtown plans should recognize the legitimacy of uses by all the residents, including panhandlers and the homeless. Read the Ethics story

What we need is a fundamental change in the way we approach zoning, the author contends. Composite zoning offers a new approach. Read Planning Essentials