Government / Politics
Decades of Failure in the Sea of Dust
When Los Angeles drained Owens Lake to bring water into its quickly growing urban basin, it simultaneously created a dry lakebed and one of the worst dust pollution problems in America. Various efforts to fight the problem have only failed.
Calling for Consolidation of Hundreds of Tiny Townships
Hundreds of townships in Indiana serve fewer than 1,000 people each, prompting some government officials to call for consolidation to reduce wasted resources.
Undoing a Sprawl-Inducing Rule in Florida
Planners in Jacksonville are getting behind plans to encourage more infill development by getting rid of an older rule that was seen to contribute to sprawl.
San Diego Looks to Cram 50 Years of Work into 10
While transportation activists in Los Angeles are getting behind a plan to cram 30 years of transportation projects into a decade, environmentalists in nearby San Diego want to do 50 years worth in the same amount of time.
Seeking a Greener Future for Downtown Minneapolis
With a downtown largely devoid of trees, Minneapolis is considering a new plan that would add more green life and greenspace to the city's center.
Debating Subways in Chinese Cities
This debate from China Daily offers a point-counterpoint over whether Chinese cities should be embarking on major subway building projects.
Not So Fast on Infrastructure Binge
The U.S. spends far less on its infrastructure than many other countries, which some say will hurt the nation's competitiveness. The U.S. needs to build infrastructure, but as Neal Peirce argues, with a few caveats.
Military's Rail Mission in Afghanistan
The U.S. war in Afghanistan is also a broad infrastructure building effort, according to military officials who talk about a rail building effort known as the Silk Road Initiative
In Defense Of CA's Redevelopment Agencies
Redevelopment agencies are vital to job creation and necessary for central cities to stem suburban job sprawl, claims Gerald Metcalf, executive director of a SF urban think tank (SPUR), countering CA Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed elimination of them.
Debating San Francisco's Community Benefit Districts
There are 12 community benefit districts in San Francisco, which raise their own taxes to create funds for various local projects. But some argue they favor big businesses.
A Comprehensive Urban Agriculture Plan
A new project is seeking to create the first citywide, comprehensive urban agriculture plan for New York City.
City Leaders Push Back on Redevelopment Axing in California
A group of city leaders and activists gathered in Sacramento to protest Governor Jerry Brown's plan to close the state's redevelopment agencies.
Mayors on the Infrastructure Needs of the U.S.
This TIME video is titled, "What Makes Cities Smart?" But the mayors interviewed - Villariagosa, Daley, Nutter - are mostly obsessed with building public transit and high-speed rail.
Amid New Leadership, Villaraigosa's Transit Plans See Less Support
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently visited Washington D.C. to discuss his plans for expedited transit projects in L.A., but the new congressional leadership is not as supportive as the old.
Cities No Longer Need Help
Joel Kotkin argues that most U.S. cities that were struggling in the '60s and '70s have forged a comeback and should no longer need the sort of redevelopment and federal attention they've been given.
California Redevelopment Rush In Full Throttle
Redevelopment agency officials throughout California are moving rapidly to prevent a threatened takeover by the state (to reduce deficit) by signing deals on projects potentially prematurely. LA just turned $1 billion in 275 projects to the city.
Wisconsin Rail Upgrade Still Possible
While Gov. Walker's rejection of $810 million of federal stimulus funds for the Milwaukee-Madison rail upgrade has received much publicity, he has not ruled out using funds to upgrade the existing Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha Line pushed by businesses.
Crime-Monitoring Blimp Could Hover Over Utah City
Officials in Ogden, Utah are considering a plan to launch an unmanned blimp to monitor the city from crime at night.
North Carolina Hopes to Lure Extra Rail Money
As states return money aimed at high speed rail projects, officials from North Carolina are hoping to scramble up some of this newly available funding to augment existing projects.
The Other Reasons He Cancelled the Tunnel
With political pressure from both sides of the aisle palpable, Gov. Christie discusses how he analyzed and justified the ARC tunnel's cancellation.
Pagination
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