Government / Politics
Death of a State Transportation Sales Tax Measure
Partisan politics killed what was labeled as a bipartisan effort to increase funding for Colorado's roads by allowing voters in November to determine whether to raise the state sales tax to fund a bond measure.
Appeals Court Ruling Favors Trump—Strike Two Against Clean Power Plan
An appeals court on Friday granted the Trump Administration's request to suspend lawsuits on the Clean Power Plan, dealing a major blow against President Obama's signature climate initiative to reduce carbon emissions from existing plants.
Op-Ed: Affordability Depends on Market-Rate Housing
California State Senator Scott Wiener argues that advocating for subsidized affordable housing isn't enough. Anyone concerned with ending the state's housing crisis needs to get behind market-rate development.
A Community Benefits Proposal is Ignored. Is Displacement Far Behind?
A tent city occupation in Atlanta is among several recent actions in cities around the country. Residents fearing displacement at the hands of publicly supported private development are organizing, and running for office, against it.
Rent Control: Illegal in Seattle Since 1981
For a long time now, rent control hasn't been an option to control housing prices in Washington state. Whether rent control works is another question entirely.
Antiquities Act Executive Order Calls for Review of Large Designations
The Executive Order does not roll back the Antiquities Act nor rescind any designations made by presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, or Obama, but does call for their review if over 100,000 acres. President Trump feels that the act has been misused.
Indiana Legislature Passes 10-Cents Fuel Tax Hike on Final Day of Session
Just past midnight on Saturday morning, the Indiana State Senate passed the transportation plan after the Housed approved it Friday. It also passed a $32 billion, two-year state budget bill, then adjourned for the year, one week ahead of schedule.
The Environmental Trade-Off for Raising California's Fuel Taxes
Come November 1, gasoline and diesel taxes will increase by 12 and 20 cents per gallon, respectively, in California, providing badly needed revenue to repair roads, bridges, and improve transit, but truck pollution loophole will still foul the air.
Op-Ed: Cities Still Subsidize Everyone Else
Donald Trump rode waves of anti-urban sentiment to the White House. But is some city smugness forgivable if urban economies subsidize rural places?
Rhetoric Over Public Lands Heating Up in Washington, D.C.
As the Outdoor Industry Association gathered for its annual advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., the industry is marshaling its resources for an expected political battle with the Trump Administration.
NYC Solar Power Capacity Surpasses 100 Megawatts
Citywide solar capacity quadruples under Mayor de Blasio, supporting more than 2,700 jobs. The City’s goal is installing 1 gigawatt of solar capacity citywide by 2030!
Reviews for 'Citizen Jane: Battle for the City'
Two publications likely to find an audience with people sympathetic to the cause of Jane Jacobs reviewed the latest film about her political battles with Robert Moses for the soul of New York.
Air District Connects Climate Protection to Clean Air Plans
With the adoption of the "Spare the Air - Cool the Climate" program, the Bay Area's air quality regulatory agency has broadened its mission to make reduction of greenhouse gases a paramount goal, along with protecting public health.
Trump and the New Urban Crisis
Richard Florida writes that Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton is a product of the backlash against what he calls The New Urban Crisis of burgeoning economic inequality—the widening divides between rich and poor.
Air Quality and Environmental Justice Lead to Push for Zero-Emission Locomotives
The California Air Resources Board has petitioned the U.S. EPA to adopt more stringent emissions standards for locomotives in order to improve air quality at rail yards, many of which are located adjacent to disadvantaged communities.
Tennessee Governor Poised to Raise Gas Tax by Six Cents per Gallon
Both chambers of Tennessee's General Assembly approved Gov. Bill Haslam's transportation plan on April 19, which hikes diesel taxes by 10 cents per gallon but lowers other taxes. Indiana appears poised to follow with a 10-cent gas tax increase.
Density is Destiny: Voting Records Mirror Proximity to Neighbors
Urban densities tend to encourage more liberal, tolerant values. Living among diverse neighbors can reduce fear and resentment, as everyday interactions break down stereotypes and misconceptions of ‘the other.’
PIRG Releases Third Highway Boondoggles Report
A new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and the Frontier Group indicates that highway boondoggles have been getting bigger, more costly, with the benefits more limited. Nine projects are analyzed in "Highway Boondoggles 3."
BART Extension Kerfluffle: East Bay Officials Pushing for New Rail Authority
If the city of Livermore and several state legislators gets their way, a proposed extension of BART to the city of Livermore would be planned and built by the Tri Valley-San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority.
New Facility Captures Atmospheric Carbon and Stores it Underground
On April 7, the illinois Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage commenced operations, taking carbon that corn sequestered from the atmosphere and storing it safely almost a mile and a half underground in a sandstone formation.
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
