Government / Politics

Michael Bloomberg Launches $500 Million 'Beyond Carbon' Campaign

The "War on Coal" is back, in the form of a new grassroots political campaign bankrolled by Bloomberg Philanthropies to decarbonize power generation by targeting existing coal power plants and halting the growth of natural gas replacements.

June 10, 2019 - The New York Times

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston City Hall Plaza Ready for a Makeover

Bostonians love to hate City Hall Plaza. That could change, as the city finalizes a renovation project that aims to transform the way the public sees the city's government.

June 8, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Dakota Access Pipeline

Dakota Access Pipeline Owners Win Eminent Domain Appeal in Iowa Supreme Court

The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that found that the Iowa Utilities Board was justified in giving the private owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline the use of eminent domain. Climate change was considered in the ruling.

June 6, 2019 - Des Moines Register

Atlanta Aerial

Atlanta Pop-Up Studio Brings Urban Designers into the Community

The Atlanta City Studio lets community members talk to the city’s urban designers about the projects most important to them.

June 6, 2019 - Next City

Oakland, California

Department of Transportation Caught in Political Tug of War in Oakland

The political debate surrounding the future of Oakland's streets has recently turned up a notch.

June 5, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Ferrari Sports Car

Regulating Car Ads to Discourage Unsafe Driving

Dangerous driving is a common feature of U.S. car ads, but other countries have banned this advertising because it glorifies reckless behavior.

June 5, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

Vancouver

Vancouver Official Says Pollution and Housing Shouldn't Mix

A motion in Vancouver, British Columbia, calls for reconsidering policies that site multifamily buildings on busy trucking corridors where diesel emissions are high.

June 5, 2019 - The Star

Springfield, Illinois

To Fix Roads, Bridges, and Public Buildings, Illinois Decides to 'Think Big'

First-term Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker succeeded in building support for his $45 billion, "think big" capital investment agenda in the Illinois State Legislature.

June 4, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Copenhagen Bikes

Copenhagen Update: On-Street Auto Parking Replaced by Bike Parking

Copenhagen may have already met its bicycling goal of 50 percent of modal share for commuting, but it needs to improve the share for all trips. With less funding available, the city is pursuing low cost strategies, such as auto parking removal.

June 3, 2019 - Forbes

Los Angeles Protected Bike Lane

Less Paint, More Barriers, Make for Better Urban Cycling

New research from the University of Colorado Denver and the University of New Mexico sheds light on how to make cities safer for cyclists and other road users and refutes some assumptions about bike safety, such as "safety-in-numbers."

June 3, 2019 - CU Denver Today

Major League Soccer

Soccer Stadium Development Opposition Grows to a Neighborhood-Level Movement

Displacement concerns surrounding stadium plans for the FC Cincinnati Major League Soccer team have grown into a citywide call for development approvals reform.

June 3, 2019 - WVXU Cincinnati

HUD

Local Public Housing Agencies Resist HUD's Proposed Section 8 Rule

A proposed rule to disqualify all families living with an undocumented person from receiving federal housing aid is available for comment. We know a few people who oppose the rule.

June 3, 2019 - Governing

Car Bike Lane

Using Gas Tax Revenue to Remove Traffic Lanes Adds to Road Diet Debate

Reducing the number of traffic lanes to improve bike and pedestrian safety can be inherently controversial when auto travel times are increased, and it can upset motorists further when they learn gas taxes are funding those safety improvements.

May 31, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Carpool Lane Sticker

Nancy Pelosi Not the Only Powerful California Woman Disrupting the Trump Administration

No issue is more important to California's air and climate regulators than ensuring that the state retains its ability to set tailpipe emission standards. Mary Nichols, the head of the Air Resources Board, has threatened to ban tailpipes.

May 30, 2019 - CALmatters

North Berkeley BART Station

Plans for TOD Housing at Berkeley BART Station

The city is behind plans to turn parking lots around the North Berkeley BART station into much-needed housing.

May 29, 2019 - Next City

Freeway Interchange

A Call for a New Approach to Federal Transportation Policy

According to this blog post, federal transportation policies are misdirected, inconsistent, and destructive. A comprehensive overhaul of federal transportation policy is necessary.

May 29, 2019 - Transportation for America

Central Park - Manhattan, New York

Opinion: Funding for N.Y.C. Parks Should Be a Priority

New York City parks are in desperate need of maintenance and infrastructure improvements, and the city should make investments now to support these essential public spaces.

May 29, 2019 - City & State New York

Utility Meter

How Much Should Electric Vehicles Be Charged in Lieu of Gas Tax?

Currently, electric vehicles pay a $17.50 annual registration fee in Illinois. A bill to double the 19 cents per gallon gas tax, unchanged in almost 30 years, would also increase the EV fee over 57-fold to $1,000.

May 28, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Thailand

New on Netflix: How Street Vendors Create Vibrant Cities

Street vending has been a contentious issue in many places, but this part of the informal economy is important to the social and economic well-being of cities.

May 28, 2019 - CityLab

Las Vegas Sprawl

The Elephant in the Room in Nevada: Property Taxes

Despite an anticipated political showdown over the issues raised by the state's property taxes, the Nevada State Legislature failed to take up the issue this year.

May 28, 2019 - The Nevada Independent

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

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