Government / Politics

The bike helmet requirement will ultimately destroy the success of the planned Seattle bike share program, writes Danny Westneat, Seattle Times staff columnist, after experiencing first-hand the world's most successful bike share program in Paris.

July 21, 2013 - The Seattle Times

Over the heckles of hundreds of residents opposed to higher density and the two regional planning agencies making the decision, the Bay Area's growth plan designed to cut carbon emissions 15% by 2040 through better planning was approved.

July 20, 2013 - Pleasanton Weekly

As the Occupy Movement, Gezi Park protests, and everyday urban reclamation projects demonstrate, power and politics are embedded in place. As public spaces disappear, reclaiming the commons becomes increasingly important, say Leo Hollis.

July 20, 2013 - Aeon

Gina McCarthy's confirmation has been stalled by Senate Republicans who claimed she hadn't answered the 1,000 questions they gave her. Her confirmation vote, 59-40 on Thursday, results from a filibuster compromise that the Senate reached on Tuesday.

July 19, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Yesterday, Detroit became the largest municipality in U.S. history to declare bankruptcy. Such an action is unprecedented, so the path forward is murky. Yet one word seems to signify what lies ahead over the next year: battles.

July 19, 2013 - Detroit Free Press

After months of speculation, and decades of mismanagement and population decline, Detroit has filed for bankruptcy. The milestone is the culmination of a turbulent half-century for the city. But some see it as a chance for a new start.

July 18, 2013 - Jonathan Nettler

The CIA, in partnership with other U.S. government agencies, is funding a $630,000 scientific study into the plausibility and potential effects of climate engineering to reduce global warming. Let the conspiracy theories begin.

July 18, 2013 - Grist

Efforts by local leaders to revive a $3.4 billion plan to replace the bridge linking Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, Washington is just the latest example of a trend in metropolitan innovation in the face of federal and state gridlock.

July 17, 2013 - The New York Times

With $4.4 billion in additional revenue expected to be generated from a new gasoline tax over the next six years, Maryland's new transportation secretary will have a historic role in shaping the state's transportation and land use patterns.

July 17, 2013 - The Washington Post

The low-income housing and new-markets tax credits are two of the most effective tools for stimulating affordable housing creation and the revitalization of low-income neighborhoods. Don't let them fall victim to tax reform, argues Michael Rubinger.

July 16, 2013 - The New York Times

Art, architecture, and incarceration collide in essays on prison design from the Panopticon to the Golden Gulag.

July 16, 2013 - Places Journal

Keith Laing, with help from Josh Schank of the Eno Center for Transportation, describes the reality facing the new Secretary of the Department of Transportation. With gas tax revenue dwindling and MAP-21 expiring next year, securing funds is crucial.

July 15, 2013 - The Hill

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's progressive transportation advocacy isn't limited to the five boroughs. From bike lanes in Turkey to auto-rickshaws in India, his philanthropy is funding transportation and road safety projects worldwide.

July 15, 2013 - The New York Times

Reporting from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where a 2008 flood devastated 14% of this city of 126,000, John Eligon writes of the extensive rebuilding that has occurred in the flood plain - largely without protection from future floods.

July 14, 2013 - The New York Times - U.S.

While Staten Island and Rockaway, Queens also suffered devastation from Superstorm Sandy; Broad Channel, an island in Jamaica Bay, Queens, may be the lowest lying area in the City and endures tidal flooding regularly, not just from storm surges.

July 12, 2013 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Analysts have noted a change in the president on climate change in his second term. Call it a "message shift". Rather than addressing it in terms of the need for clean energy and renewables, he now speaks directly to the perils of climate change.

July 11, 2013 - The Hill

Police response times average 58 minutes for worst crimes and at times only 10 of the city's 36 ambulances are in service: Detroit's woes extend far beyond its unpaid debts. Many residents are hoping emergency management will bring drastic change.

July 11, 2013 - The New York Times

Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tex.) have introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would create America's first extraterrestrial national park - the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historic park.

July 10, 2013 - CNN

If Gov. John Kitzhaber signs SB 810, as expected, Oregon will create a voluntary program for up to 5,000 motorists who will pay 1.5-cents for every mile they drive instead of the 30-cent state fuel excise tax.

July 10, 2013 - Statesman Journal

Fewer cars on the road, less driving, why not fewer parking spots? Cities like D.C., L.A., Denver, Philadelphia are responding by reducing or eliminating parking minimums, while Portland, which had already eliminated them, are bringing them back.

July 10, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal