Government / Politics
What Are (Realistic) Options For Federal Transportation Funding?
With the unlikely possibility of the Congressional conference committee agreeing to a new transportation bill, much less an agreement to address the decreasing gas tax revenues to the Highway Trust Fund, Kathryn Wolfe looks at the remaining options.
Top 10 Websites - 2012
Our annual list of the 10 best planning, design, and development websites represents some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.
Will "Rebel Cities" Revolt Against Global Inequality?
In this interview with Marxist scholar David Harvey, Aaron Leonard discusses the author's new book, "Rebel Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution."
High-Speed Train Will Require High-Speed Spending
Guidelines attached to the federal funds intended to help pay for the first phase of California's bullet train will require the fastest rate of transportation construction known in U.S. history, reports Ralph Vartabedian.
CBO: The Collision Course of Fuel Efficiency Standards and Transportation Revenue
Ann Mesnikoff, Director of the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign, looks at the CBO's Highway Trust Fund report on the relationship between fuel economy standards and projected gas tax revenues, and finds it too hypothetical.
Vital Census Tool Gets Axe in the House
Jason Jordan reports on last week's stunning vote in the House of Representatives to eliminate the American Community Survey (ACS) in its entirety.
Can A Charter City Save Honduras?
Adam Davidson explores Honduras's experimentation with economist Paul Romer's theories on the need for poor countries to build special economic development zones that essentially "start from scratch" with new legal and political systems.
Transportation Reauthorization: Being Responsible Means Not Raising Gas Tax
Responsible funding for transportation may no longer be the conventional "pay-as-you-go" user fee system whereby drivers pay for projects through gas taxes. House Transportation Chair Mica wants to fund the bill responsibly, but rules out new taxes.
The Real Story Behind NYC's Bike Share Coup
Neighborhoods skipped, sponsorship indifference, the entire program imperiled? Read what Andrea Bernstein has to report about the items left out of Monday's splashy announcement.
Does England Need More Mayors?
On the occasion of recent elections in England that saw the defeat eight of the nine referendums seeking approval for directly elected mayors, Peter Hetherington laments the state of local governance in the country.
The Street Hacker Finds an Open Source Embrace in SF
Emily Badger tracks the hacking phenomenon as it migrates from the virtual to the physical world, and the official channels that are embracing and facilitating its emergence.
Proposed Pittsburgh Transit Cuts Spark Outrage
An unprecedented 35 percent transit service reduction scheduled to commence on September 2 has united Pittsburgh lawmakers, business owners, and medical professionals in opposition, reports Jon Schmit.
WSJ Hears From CA Smart Growth Bill Author
The Wall Street Journal printed a response to the Wendall Cox opinion, “California Declares War on Suburbia” by none other than the author of the bill (SB 375) that Cox holds responsible for the war, Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg.
India's Megacity Discusses its Mega-Problems
Naresh Fernandes chronicles a recent upsurge in events providing opportunities for Mumbai's residents, and fascinated guests, to discuss the city's myriad challenges, and possible solutions. But can all the talk result in real action?
Is Portland Well Planned? Its Mayor Doesn't Think So
Mayor Sam Adams pens an opinion piece for Grist in which he considers why Portland is not as well planned as it could be, and how a different approach to planning is necessary for American cities to address their most pressing challenges.
Is London Next in Line to Embrace the Bike?
Kaya Burgess and Rhoda Buchanan report on a ride for cyclists' rights in the English capital, where political support for more inclusive streets is gaining momentum.
Making Metros Work
In an opinion piece for The Denver Post, Neal Peirce summarizes a new report on the practical ways in which metropolitan regions around the country are working across jurisdictional boundaries to lay the groundwork for prosperous futures.
Obama Attacks GOP Over Transportation Bill
In a speech yesterday to the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department Conference, President Obama made his most pointed remarks yet on the failure of the House to take up the Senate's bipartisan transportation bill.
How Can We Create Effective Regional Planning?
Kaid Benfield looks at shortcomings of the dominant national apparatus for regional planning - the Metropolitan Planning Organization - through the lens of transportation, and pines for new mechanisms for regional cooperation.
Surveying Four Years of "Borisopolis"
As London's next mayoral election draws near, Rowan Moore evaluates the good and the bad in planning, architecture, and design from Mayor Boris Johnson's first four years at the helm.
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
