Government / Politics
Property Loans Dry Up in Chinese Cities
Banks in China have stopped accepting loan applications for property in the country's second- and third-tier cities in an effort to curb inflation.
Vancouver Plans Big Build to End Homelessness
The city of Vancouver is planning to offer more than $42 million in land and capital grants aimed at developing affordable housing. Its part of a 10-year plan to end homelessness in the city.
Explaining Property and Taxes Through Comic Books
A comic book is helping municipal employees in Brazil to understand how to catalog land for the collection of property taxes.
Empty Stadia and Some Regret in South Africa
One year after it hosted the World Cup, South Africa is looking at empty and expensive stadia and a persistent debt that's causing some to regret hosting the soccer tournament.
"Facts Don't Speak for Themselves"
Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP, explains why being able to tell a good story about plans and development is more valuable than any maps or pretty renderings.
Urban Trees = Cleaner Air
Not that it's a real surprise that trees clean the air, but a new study shows that greenery in cities can have a significant effect on air quality.
"No Net Loss" for Third Places?
Amid the dissolution of Borders bookstores in urban centers, Chuck Wolfe urges policymakers and the private market to assure "no let loss" in the spirit of natural resource protection to assure third places remain available in American cities.
The Tortoise vs. Solar Power
Gov. Brown, a former AG who filed many lawsuits to protect the environment, sided with a renewable energy producer in a lawsuit to stop a huge solar thermal power project in the Mojave Desert on behalf of the threatened desert tortoise.
Does America Need a National Infrastructure Bank?
A new report published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace proposes, among other things, a 5%-per-barrel tax on petro and the creation of the National Infrastructure Bank to cope with transportation budget cuts.
Something's Afoot in Lower Macungie
Jon Geeting of Nazareth Patch says that something fishy is happening in the township of Lower Macungie as megaproject is approved on 600 acres of farmland.
Walmart Win in Washington
Walmart easily received approval for four new big box stores in Washington, D.C. With so much opposition elsewhere, why the open arms in the Beltway?
NY MTA Chief Resigns, Takes Job In Hong Kong
The head of the New York MTA, Jay Walder, is leaving to take charge of a private transportation company in Hong Kong.
Placemaking Is Key To Job Creation, Says Politician
In a post at Project for Public Spaces, a politician from Spokane, WA is quoted as saying the way municipal governments could spur job growth is by building public spaces where people want to live, work, shop and invest.
U.S. Still Missing Bike Lessons from Europe
Bicycling is growing in popularity in the U.S., but it still isn't considered a serious form of transportation as it is in Europe, according to this piece from Yale Environment 360.
Graffiti Tags Up Cities Nationwide
Graffiti has cropped up this year in metropolitan areas like Los Angles to smaller communities like Florence, Alabama. The rise in graffiti has prompted a debate that it may reflect that anxiety and alienation are growing from the recession.
Bridge Planned Between Egypt and Saudi Arabia
A proposed 20-mile bridge would span the Red Sea to connect Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- connecting Arab states and reducing reliance on land passage through Israel.
Downtown Minneapolis Unprepared for Influx of Children
The amount of children under five has jumped in downtown Minneapolis, which is posing problems for the city and its school system.
California Cities Sue Over Laws That Kill Redevelopment
Cities have filed a lawsuit with the California State Supreme Court over recently passed laws that eliminate funding for the state's redevelopment agencies.
The City Manager, Post-Bell
The small southern California town of Bell became notorious for corruption when the exploits of its city manager were revealed in a newspaper investigation. The crime highlights the power of the city manager and how those powers can be misused.
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
