Government / Politics

In the aftermath of the presidential election, an observation by the star statistician Nate Silver about the connection between sidewalks and voting patterns has been getting a lot of play. Robert Steuteville tries to depoliticize walkability.

November 10, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

As NYC struggles to cope with the damage from Superstorm Sandy, officials and experts are revisiting the possibility of building, at great cost, a protective barrier around its coast.

November 10, 2012 - The New York Times

A series of seemingly intractable obstacles stand in the way of transforming the housing and mortgage markets to reduce government involvement. Peter Eavis asks if a second term president is exactly the force needed to overcome such obstacles.

November 9, 2012 - The New York Times

In the aftermath of the seemingly narrow defeat of his pet measure to speed up the expansion of L.A.'s transit infrastructure, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa remains unbowed in his attempts to accelerate his key initiative, writes Ari Bloomekatz.

November 9, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Across America, arcane zoning regulations and building codes prevent some of the most promising sustainable techniques and technologies from being built. A project based in Oregon aims to make land use regulations friendlier for greener building.

November 9, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Pres. Obama was accused of 'waging a war on coal' - rightly or wrongly, and the fossil fuel industry pumped funds heavily into his opponent's campaign, while environmentalists backed the president. How will this affect federal energy policy?

November 9, 2012 - The Washington Post - Health & Science

What do recent national politics have to do with transportation planning? For Sarah Goodyear, the connection is clear: it's about having access to good data for solving real-world problems.

November 9, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In response to a formal request from Congress, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) has agreed to study potential changes to D.C.'s Height of Buildings Act of 1910, a step that could result in the eventual change of the controversial law.

November 8, 2012 - The Washington Post

That didn't take long. A few short months after Philadelphia enacted the long-overdue replacement to its antiquated 1962 zoning code, the City Council is already considering changes to the document, including increasing parking requirements.

November 8, 2012 - philly.com

Was not enough transit spending the culprit for the narrow rejection of Los Angeles County's Measure J initiative, which aimed to speed up construction of a host of the region's transit projects from 30 to 10 years? Damien Newton thinks so.

November 8, 2012 - LA.Streetsblog

Former Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and chair of the House Transportation Committee was ousted by Chip Cravaack (R) in 2010, who took his seat on the committee and proceeded to gut Oberstar's goals. Cravaack was ousted by Rick Nolan (D), on Nov. 6.

November 8, 2012 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

In a project initiated by the Sustainability Institute, and backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, development experts are taking innovative steps to address South Africa’s housing shortage.

November 8, 2012 - The New York Times

With the aftermath of Sandy fresh on voters' minds, and the debate about the causes and effects of climate change seemingly reinvigorated, Grist examines whether those forces translated into support for green initiatives across the country.

November 7, 2012 - Grist

No sooner had the ink dried on the Times' "Obama's Night" headline, than planning advocates began offering suggestions for what the President should focus on in his second term. With an enduring split in Congress it's unclear what is achievable.

November 7, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Forty-five miles southwest of the Twin Cities sits the exurb of New Prague, a town with state-of-the-art infrastructure but crushing debt. It’s an example of what happens when the “Ponzi scheme” underlying sprawl development comes crumbling down.

November 7, 2012 - Star Tribune

As America's cities grow and expand, there's great opportunities--but there are also significant challenges. Twenty innovative metros are vying for $9 in grant money to address their city's greatest needs.

November 7, 2012 - ICIC

While the federal government balks at increasing money for transportation projects, local officials across America are turning to their constituents to get the go ahead for significant transportation investment. What projects are at stake today?

November 6, 2012 - the transport politic

As the Sandy clean-up gets underway, could this be an opportunity for the Eastern Seaboard to apply some of the rebuilding lessons learned along the Gulf Coast after Katrina? Ben Brown shares some pointers.

November 6, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Amid all the attention L.A.'s recent transit expansion and car culture receive, you couldn't blame the area's pedestrians for feeling like the odd ones out. But with the city’s first official pedestrian coordinators on the job, that may soon change.

November 5, 2012 - LA.Streetsblog

On the eve of the election, with scant mention of his position on issues such as transportation, smart growth, climate change, or even housing while on the campaign trail, Emily Badger tries to divine Mitt Romney's approach to urban issues.

November 5, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities