Government / Politics
Home Builders Oppose Changes to Property Tax, Mortgage Interest Deductions
The National Association of Home Builders has decided that the Republican tax reform proposal would lower property values.
Budget Gap Spotlights Oklahoma's Onerous Three-Fourths Supermajority Requirement
California legislators have it easy compared to their counterparts in Oklahoma and Arkansas who seek to increase revenue through tax increases. A bill to hike gasoline and cigarette taxes and revise alcohol taxes faces a high hurdle.
Op-Ed: Ride Sharing Tax Will Help Poor
Chicago's Mayor Emanuel's proposed tax would be used for the benefit of transit.
Three Congressional Bills Respond to Western Wildfires
Two GOP bills and one bipartisan Senate bill hope to reduce the wildfire risk in the West. The "Wildfires Management Act of 2017" is sponsored by the two Republican senators of Idaho and three of the four Democratic senators of Washington and Oregon.
Rent Control Advocates Turn to California's Initiative Process after Bill Fails
A statewide initiative has been filed by California tenant activists that would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act, the 1995 legislation that restricts the type of rental housing regulated by local rent control ordinances.
Eminent Domain Cases Roil Communities Across Massachusetts
Several communities across Massachusetts are looking to take private property to build new schools.
Friday Eye Candy: Highly Detailed Cold War Era Soviet Maps of the U.S.
A new book sheds light on maps created by cartographers in the Soviet Union that dove into remarkable detail about buildings, transportation networks, and other infrastructure in cities across the United States and around the world.
An Amtrak Train Runs Through Them
Efforts to ensure that Amtrak's Southwest Chief continues its current route through three states has united more than 20 small communities in New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas.
California Gas Tax Repeal Provokes Internecine Republican Conflict
Chances for a repeal of California's 12-cents gas tax increase have doubled in that two measures aim to qualify for the November 2018 ballot. The initiatives are opposed by the state's major business groups that usually side with Republican causes.
Prototypes for Trump's Border Wall Now on View in California
The U.S.-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana received eight controversial additions over the weekend.
Tolling the Interstates: Will Indiana be the First?
Indiana is on track to be the first state to apply new tolls on all lanes of selected interstate highways if they are successful in their application for a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration.
Confronting Wisconsin's $1.1 Billion Highway Widening Proposal
A coalition of environmentalists, civil rights activists, and other community interests teamed up to successfully oppose a Milwaukee highway widening proposal. In an interview, one of the leading lawyers discusses his work.
Data Shows a Tepid Post-2008 Recovery in America's Cities
According to data compiled by the Lincoln Institute, public revenue and spending on the local and municipal levels hasn't truly bounced back following the Great Recession.
California to Implement Wood Smoke Reduction Program
The program is voluntary, providing incentives to replace older, uncertified wood stoves for cleaner replacements or alternatives. In addition to decreasing air pollution, it reduces emissions of a "super climate pollutant," black carbon.
Spokane Voters to Decide Whether to Regulate Oil and Coal Trains
Proposition 2, the Safer Spokane Initiative, would require railroads to reduce health and safety risks posed by certain types of oil and coal trains traveling through specified parts of the city or risk being fined.
Integrating Environmental Justice Into Planning Processes
National City, California pioneered a model for implementing environmental justice considerations into planning processes—state law compels states to follow National City's leadership.
Wildfire Destroys Santa Rosa Neighborhood Outside of Fire Hazard Zone
The Wine Country wildfires destroyed Coffey Park, a subdivision within the urban boundaries of the Bay Area's fifth largest city, and outside of the state's severe fire hazard zones. But the cause wasn't a mystery to wildland fire scientists.
Is It Time to Rethink the Legacy of Enrique Peñalosa?
Negative responses to the "Most Influential Urbanists" list published last week overwhelmingly focused on one name on the list: Enrique Peñalosa.
Dockless vs. Docking Bikeshare Showdown in San Francisco
When Ford GoBike took over Bay Area Bike Share last year and promised to expand the number of bikes ten-fold, they entered into an exclusivity contract with San Francisco. So why is the city going to issue a permit to a competitor?
Increased Tolls for Bay Area Bridges Headed for a Vote
It is now up to the Bay Area's transportation planning agency to determine when to ask voters to hike tolls on seven Bay Area bridges, by how much, and whether to phase the increase. A bill to allow voters to fund Caltrain was also signed.
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
