Government / Politics
An East Coast Cap-and-Invest Approach to Reducing Transportation Emissions
Nine Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states and the District of Columbia have agreed to work together to develop a policy to price emissions from transportation, set a 'cap' on them, and invest the revenues in low carbon transportation solutions.
YourCoast App Will Make California's Public Beaches More Accessible
The app, developed by tech mogul Sean Parker (of Napster and Facebook fame), brings technology and environmental regulation together to give people the information they need to get to public beaches.
Gentrification Threat Spreading in Houston, Particularly on City’s East Side
A decrease in affordable housing, the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and demographic changes mean more of the city’s neighborhoods are facing gentrification challenges.
Texas Has a Lot of Work to Do to Prepare for Future Hurricanes, Says Report
A new report outlines a long list of measures the state needs to take to prevent catastrophic outcomes. However, it avoids directly discussing climate change as a cause of increasingly severe natural disasters.
California Delta Project Facing Approval Challenges
The plan to update the state’s water system has hit a major snag.
A Vision for the Future of Transportation in Massachusetts
A long awaited report on the future of transportation in the Bay State was released last Friday. Among the recommendations: a phaseout on the sales of gas and diesel powered light duty vehicles and allowing cities to enact cordon congestion pricing.
Implementing the Paris Climate Agreement in Katowice, Poland
Representatives from nearly 200 nations have been attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Katowice since Dec. 2 to work on implementing the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Scheduled to end Friday, it will be extended two days due to discord.
Who's Advocating Rolling Back Fuel Economy Standards?
Conventional thinking is that the auto industry, wanting to sell more fuel-gulping SUVs, are pushing for weaker fuel economy standards, but Hiroko Tabuchi, climate reporter for The New York Times, exposes Big Oil's stealth campaign.
Boston Bridge Separated Bike Lane Might Get the Ax This Winter
MassDOT and cycling advocates don’t agree on what should happen to the Longfellow Bridge’s bike lane in the coming months.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Resigns Amid Scandals
With a tweet from the president on Saturday morning, the public learns that yet another embattled cabinet member will lose his job. Zinke, a former congressman from Montana, is the subject of numerous investigations and controversies.
EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Propose Revision of Wetlands Definition
Fulfilling a promise he made as a candidate, the Trump administration proposed a redefinition of what is classified as a wetland, with the result being the loss of federal protection of millions of acres of waterways and wetlands.
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Needs Innovative Solutions
The New York City roadway is desperately in need of repair, but just tearing it down and replacing it would be a shortsighted fix.
Recent Parking Reform: Start of a Wave of Change?
The range of cities that have recently removed parking mandates could help motivate others that are eyeing new parking policies.
Cities Need to Create Level Playing Fields For New Mobility (That Tilt Towards Community Goals)
The new mobility landscape requires a few key roles from government.
Advocates for Oregon's Carbon Pricing Plan Proceed Cautiously
With the re-election of Gov. Kate Brown and Democrats increasing their majorities in both legislative chambers, Oregon appears poised next year to pass the Clean Energy Jobs bill which caps carbon emissions, but opponents could put it on the ballot.
Are Environmentalists Turning Away From Carbon Taxes?
Economics 101: It's difficult to reduce an activity if there's no price attached to it, so why are many environmentalists increasingly turning away from wanting to price carbon emissions?
Seattle Needs More Housing Diversity and Less Single-Family Zoning
The city should look back to its past for lessons about creating more livable, affordable, and equitable neighborhoods, says a new report.
Legislation to End Sales of Gas and Diesel Passenger Vehicles in California Reintroduced
Assemblymembers Phil Ting and Ash Kalra have reintroduced the Clean Cars 2040 Act with the goal of banning the sale of passenger vehicles powered by internal combustion engines by 2040, with the California Air Resources Board playing a lead role.
Interstate Highway Tolling Takes Major Step Forward in Pacific Northwest
The state that implemented the first gas tax and the first bike tax took a huge step on Thursday toward becoming the first, since 1956, to toll all lanes on an interstate highway by approving an application to the Federal Highway Administration.
When Cities Prosper, Rural Areas Are Better Off
The pitting of cities and rural communities against one another is the wrong approach. Instead, policies that help cities thrive will benefit rural areas in the long run.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
