An interesting piece today over at Next American City discusses how the proliferation of “hyperlocal” blogs and web sites is impacting urban planning. Highlighting a number of sites focused on the metro Washington region the piece argues that urban planning a field sometimes perceived as unapproachable by the general public (either by design or by the wonkish nature of the discipline) is becoming more connected to the people it affects – a positive development.

The piece’s author Kara Hadge argues that these new outlets are covering a vacuum left by the mainstream media (which is suffering from repeated budget and staff cuts). The folks taking charge of these new sites and blogs are passionate about their topic and the rapid growth of hyperlocal sites and blogs is a testament to the fact that the public – including those well versed in planning fundamentals and those who have never heard of transit-oriented development – is hungry for this information.

With RF we are working to help bridge this gap. A fairly complex idea – planning land use transportation environment climate & energy economic housing health & human services education and public safety goals and targets for the region’s future in one integrated package – is provided in user-friendly sections. Additionally this blog The Yardstick aims highlight real-life examples of the principles discussed in RF and allow for you to comment and start a discussion.