Government / Politics
Policing is an Information Business
The NYPD vaunts crime mapping technologies from CompStat maps to a vast networked surveillance infrastructure. Who benefits?
Oil and Gas Industry Lobbyists Promote Carbon Tax
A political action committee representing the energy industry, including fossil fuels, has been formed by two former U.S. senators, a Republican and Democrat, to advance a carbon fee-and-dividend plan on Capitol Hill.
Three Ways to Make GIS as Powerful as Possible
These days, cities are expected to make the most of open data and spatial visualization technologies.
Massive Waterfront Investment 'Reinvents' Tampa
After decades of planning, the city hopes several huge developments will draw millenials and empty-nesters.
Scooter War Now a Scooter Competition
Three scooter companies, Lime, Bird and Spin, removed their scooters from the sidewalks of San Francisco earlier this month and applied, with nine other companies, for five permits to operate up to 2,500 scooters in a tightly regulated pilot program.
Should Ride-Hailing Vehicles Reduce Emissions?
Driving an electric ride-hailing vehicle may be good for the planet but costly for the driver who may have to limit the distance of rides and search for fast-chargers. Uber is trying to help out.
California Realtors Hope Ballot Initiative Will Put More Homes on Market
A ballot measure to enable older homeowners in California, particularly empty nesters, to downsize without losing their tax benefits granted to them by the 1978 Proposition 13, has qualified for the November ballot.
In Sprawling Charlotte, Traffic Jams Point to Climate Solutions
A look at the relationship between sprawl and climate change mitigation in the fast-growing North Carolina city.
Court Throws Out Massachusetts 'Millionaire Tax'
The failed "Fair Share Amendment" would have taxed the wealthy to pay for transportation and education.
Doug Ford, Elected Ontario Premier, Promises End of Cap and Trade
The brother of former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford decisively won the election on June 7 to be the next premier of Ontario, ousting current Premier Kathleen Wynne. His first order of business: end the province's emissions trading program.
Expansion of Maryland Toll Lane Project Increases Cost Five-Fold to $1.1 Billion
A $210 million project to add a single, 7-mile express toll lane on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore was just expanded to two lanes for 10 miles. Financing will rely on toll revenue. Unlike HOT lanes, every motorist will pay to use the lanes.
The Happy Jail
Where do the street trees come from, and where does the compost go? Rikers Island was New York City's growing outpost for years. But does “greening” the jail always improve things for prisoners?
26-Year-Old Civil Rights Complaint Finally Ends
The legal controversy over the Genesee Power Plant in Flint, Michigan has finally ended, with a court forcing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to better investigate and resolve complaints of environmental discrimination.
Industry Report: Regulations Add 30 Percent to Multi-Family Development Costs
Two organizations representing the development industry have released a report to highlight the costs of doing business.
'Smart' Parking Meters Issue Tickets From Afar
More tickets, fewer meter maids.
San Francisco's Next Mayor a Self-Described 'Pro-Housing' Politician With Support From YIMBYs
London Breed is the first African American female elected mayor of San Francisco, and she brings high hopes that a pro-development approach can help mitigate the city's housing affordability crisis.
Trump Rebuffed by Federal Energy Commissioners on Coal and Nuclear Power Bailout
Last month the Trump administration directed Energy Secretary Rick Perry to require grid operators to purchase power from aging coal and nuclear power plants, enabling them to keep operating as a matter of "national security." Regulators disagree.
Chicago's New Train to O'Hare Won't Be a Train—It's Elon Musk's 'Loop'
Loop, as in a derivation of Hyperloop, conceived by Elon Musk and to be built by his newest venture, The Boring Company, is the technology of choice for high-speed transit to O'Hare Airport.
A Kinder and Gentler Approach to Scooters
It's a temporary experiment, but Santa Monica will not cap the number of scooters operated by private companies in the city.
Wanted in the Autonomous Vehicles Debate: A Place at the Table for Local Authorities
How much should the federal government involve local authorities in crafting autonomous vehicle regulations? Officials in New York say they aren't being included enough.
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
