Government / Politics

HUD

Motivations of Proposed Federal Housing Rules Questioned

Reports of a new federal program designed to cut the waiting list for public housing was greeted incredulously from housing advocates this week.

April 21, 2019 - CityLab

Inglewood NFL Stadium

Residents Left Behind as L.A. Stadium Project Surges Ahead

Inglewood had fallen on hard times, but then plans for a massive sports and entertainment complex came along. While the city’s future is poised to change dramatically, the development is also displacing residents.

April 20, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Refueling

A Small but Significant Fuel Tax Hike for Arkansas

The 3 cent gas tax and 6 cent diesel tax increases are among the lowest of any states that have hiked fuel taxes since 2013, but combined with other revenue sources in the legislation, plus an upcoming sales tax ballot measure, it's historic.

April 20, 2019 - Talk Business & Politics

Texas State Capitol building

Texas State Legislators Aim to Reduce Their Own Housing Sway

Current Texas law grants state representatives significant power over whether affordable developments receive federal tax credits. Controversially, several representatives have proposed the reduction of their own authority in that regard.

April 18, 2019 - Next City

Central Parkway

Civic Crowdfunding to Mitigate 'Bikelash'

Public outcry about the priority given protected bike lanes on streets can be mitigated when civic crowdfunding is part of the planning process, according to this article.

April 18, 2019 - The Conversation

TTC Subway

Reactions to Ontario's Subway Takeover Plan

Last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a plan to replace Toronto's subway expansion plans with a vision of his own. Reactions have been pouring in ever since.

April 17, 2019 - James Brasuell

Chicago, Illinois

Lincoln Yards Mega-Development Clears Final Legislative Hurdle

A Chicago City Council vote to approve tax increment financing for the massive Lincoln Yards redevelopment proposal scored a surprising reversal and a big win for outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel, with an assist from Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot.

April 17, 2019 - Politico

Water Emergency Transportation Authority

Spotlight On Bay Area Planners

At this week's American Planning Association National Conference in San Francisco, a roundtable of eight planning directors from the Bay Area discussed their cities unique situations and common challenges.

April 17, 2019 - California Planning & Development Report

Leesburg, Virginia

Virginia Legislators Agree to Fuel Taxes, not Tolls, to Fund I-81 Improvements

Motorists who purchase gas along the I-81 corridor will pay an additional 2.1 percent gas tax, about seven cents a gallon. Trucks, which disproportionately use the corridor, will see increases to registration fees and road and diesel taxes.

April 16, 2019 - The Winchester Star

East Bay Regional Park District

Trails and Rails Battle in San Francisco Bay Shoreline Park

Can freight trains and a scenic shoreline park along San Francisco Bay coexist, or are they incompatible uses? The East Bay Regional Park District voted to remove old rail tracks that BNSF Railway wants to reactivate. A local court may decide.

April 16, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Mountain Waterfall

Comments Closed for Significant Changes to 'Waters of the United States' Rule

The Trump administration has spent the first two years of its time in office trying to overturn key provisions of the "Waters of the United States" rule.

April 16, 2019 - KJZZ

2020 Presidential Campaign

A Presidential Campaign Built on Rust Belt Revitalization

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is hoping to ride a track record of urban revitalization success to the Oval Office.

April 16, 2019 - Curbed

Transportation Network Companies

First City to Make Ride-Hailing Trip Data Public: Chicago

Data geeks in Chicago will get the first chance to crunch detailed data on transportation network company trips in their city.

April 16, 2019 - Streetsblog Chicago

Phoenix Aerial

Big Ideas for Downtown Phoenix Park, but Little Progress

Advocates say an upgraded Hance Park could be a great success for the city, but the move forward has been slow.

April 15, 2019 - azcentral.com

Sewer

Florida Plagued by Sewage Spills

The state’s aging sewage infrastructure is failing, but the cost to replace it would be monumental.

April 15, 2019 - GateHouse Media

Donald Trump

Trump Signs Two Executive Orders Limiting States' Authority Over Energy Pipelines

The Trump administration's "energy dominance" agenda depends, in part, on growing the energy distribution network, namely pipelines, rail facilities, and ports. However, states can use the Clean Water Act to block pipelines and coal terminals.

April 15, 2019 - InsideClimate News

New York New Jersey Transit

Gateway Program Encounters Barrier in Trump

President Trump has not been a friend to the $30 billion Gateway Program, a transportation project meant to replace aging rail infrastructure connecting New York and New Jersey.

April 15, 2019 - Yahoo Finance

Tampa TECO  Streetcar

Tampa Streetcar Sees Big Boost in Ridership

Free fares and more frequent service have resulted in a huge increase in ridership on the TECO Line Streetcar and proved skeptics wrong.

April 14, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

Public Art Bronx

N.Y.C. Artists in Residence Tackle Social Issues

A program in New York brings artists into public agencies to work on collaborative projects that take creative approaches to problem solving.

April 14, 2019 - The New York Times

Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Housing on the Agenda as Philadelphia Election Approaches

In the run-up to a municipal primary scheduled for May 21, Philadelphia's City Council has introduced a range of bills to address housing affordability and tenants' rights.

April 13, 2019 - Next City

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

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.