Government / Politics
The AV START Act Raises Safety Concerns
The AV Start Act (S. 1885, Thune) is making its way through the U.S. Senate. Critics say the bill will rush autonomous vehicles to the market, and to the streets, without safety regulations.
San Francisco's Transbay Transit Center Open, When Will Trains Arrive?
To great fanfare, the Salesforce Transit Center opened on Saturday to thousands of visitors anxious to see the huge facility. Sunday was quieter, with the first AC Transit buses arriving on the third-floor bus deck. Train arrivals: TBD.
Mapping Tax Abatements to Mitigate Controversy
St. Louis politicians are embroiled in controversy over the city's use of tax abatements, which come at the expense of funding for the city's school district. A map is seen as part of the solution.
Paying for Climate Change Mitigation at the Pump in California
Two market-based programs add about a quarter to every gallon of fuel purchased in the Golden State, but don't expect to see the prices listed anywhere. Furthermore, costs to comply with the Low Carbon Fuel Standard are expected to increase.
Numtots, and Lessons in Coalition Building
The evolution of a planning-focused online group has lessons for the wider world.
The Boundaries of Houston Don't Match the Perception of Houston
A more-than-6oo-square-mile city can get hard to map in our minds, especially when it blends so seamlessly into surrounding cities.
Op-Ed: By-Right Zoning Allows Tall Buildings But Not Citizen Feedback
A local block association leader expresses frustration with the development approvals process in New York City.
Massachusetts Could Be Next to Tax Short-Term Rentals
Legislation on the verge of approval in Massachusetts would enact a linkage fee, in effect, that would generate revenue for funding affordable housing.
What Comes Next if California Repeals Its Gas Tax Increase?
Repeal proponents have already planned a sequel for Proposition 6, regardless of whether the measure passes, resulting in the loss of over $5 billion annually from new transportation user fees, including a 12-cents per gallon gas tax increase.
What Do You Do With Controversial Monuments and Statues?
Cities around the country are scrambling with ways to accommodate monuments to a past that many consider as oppressive.
Why Are Mayors Fighting Trump's Fuel Economy Rollback?
State attorneys general and green groups are gearing up to fight the emissions rule rollback. Mayors would have a greater climate impact by helping their constituents drive less, argues Alissa Walker.
Anchorage Officials Take on Code Scofflaws After Decade of Inaction
Anchorage officials have started to take a more assertive effort toward the clean up of nuisance buildings and properties that have become magnets for crime and other problems. This is the first clean-up of this scope since 2007.
A Plan to Transform the Hoover Dam into Energy Storage
A proposal by the nation's largest utility could be a model to deal with the most formidable problem presented by intermittent renewable electricity sources.
NYC Planning Director Marissa Lago Touts Regional Planning
Marisa Lago pens in an opinion piece supporting a regional approach to planning, timed for the release of a new "Geography of Jobs" report.
Acknowledging the Emotional Abuse Facing Planners
A professor of planning calls out the emotional abuse facing planners—from professional colleagues in related fields, from elected officials, and from the public.
Gwinnett County to Vote on Joining MARTA
Transit activists celebrated the good news that residents will finally be given the opportunity to join the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority but bemoaned that they would have to wait till March 2020 to vote on the one percent sales tax.
How Texas Could Create Equity for the Disabled
Twenty-eight years after the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Texas has plenty of work to do if it's going to provide opportunity to Americans struggling with disabilities.
Trump Administration Proposes to Freeze Fuel Economy Standards at 2020 Level
On Thursday, the U.S. DOT and U.S. EPA announced one of the Trump administration's most consequential rollbacks of environmental and efficiency regulations that will have a detrimental effect on climate change, air pollution, and oil consumption.
Chicago Bankruptcies Driven by Sticker Violations
Heavy fines on cars without city stickers have fueled a spike in bankruptcies in Chicago, especially in black neighborhoods like Lawndale and Englewood where households received many times more tickets than households in white neighborhoods.
Washington's Progressive Governor Becomes Protectionist When it Comes to Portland Tolling
Do residents in Vancouver, Washington need protection from congestion pricing applied to all lanes on two Portland interstates? Gov. Jay Inslee seems to think so, adding that the value pricing pilot project is "going nowhere."
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
