Government / Politics

Freeway Teardowns: The Prudent Choice?

Efforts to tear down the Interstate-10 Claiborne Expressway, a 2.2 mile section of elevated roadway in New Orleans that many locals and activists have blamed for separating neighborhoods. Neal Pierce says teardowns might begin to grow in popularity.

September 10, 2010 - Citiwire

Recovery Through Open Data in Detroit and New Orleans

In Detroit and New Orleans, open data proponents are pushing local government to share public data in ways that help citizens in these struggling cities to improve their communities.

September 9, 2010 - Next American City

The Urban Impact of Richard Daley

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who recently announced he would not seek re-election, has had a major impact on the city and its urban form, according to this review.

September 9, 2010 - Chicago Tribune

Developing Detroit's New Comprehensive Plan

The city of Detroit is looking to create a comprehensive plan for rethinking the struggling city. Next American City talks with the officials heading the effort about the challenges they face.

September 9, 2010 - Next American City

Backing the Infrastructure Bank

The Los Angeles Times is standing behind President Barack Obama's recently announced infrastructure bank proposal, but not just because it could boost transit in L.A.

September 9, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Obama Calls For $50 Billion Transportation Stimulus

Calling it an investment plan in job growth in the transportation sector, the President in a Labor Day speech outlined a six-year plan for investment in road, rail, and airports to be paid for by eliminating tax breaks and subsidies from big oil.

September 9, 2010 - The New York Times - Politics

Can A City Function on Low Taxes?

Colorado Springs, Colorado has some of the lowest property taxes in the nation, and its heavily right-wing residents like it that way. But with the recession, the lack of tax income is causing some heavy cuts to city services.

September 8, 2010 - Governing Magazine

Southern CA MPO Snubs Air Board By Reducing Emissions Targets

The Southern California Association of Governments rebuffed the CA Air Resources Board by deliberately setting lower targets for greenhouse gas emissions per SB 375, the 2008 law intended to reduce GHG emissions from transportation.

September 8, 2010 - LA. Streetsblog

The Visions of Paolo Soleri: Dimmed, But Still Hanging in There

In 1970, visionary architect Paolo Solieri began envisioned a utopian city in Arizona. The resulting development, Arcosanti, and its architect have struggled for relevancy ever since.

September 7, 2010 - The Arizona Republic

Shifting Federal Transportation Dollars to Create More Jobs

Shifting federal transportation dollars to transit projects could help create up to 180,000 jobs and not raise the federal deficit, according to a new report.

September 7, 2010 - Streetsblog

HSR Opponents Vow To Continue Litigation

Contention over how California's high speed rail train from Los Angeles should access the Bay Area appears to be the dispute that won't go away. Having just lost their case in court only 2 weeks ago, approval of the Pacheco Pass may continue.

September 7, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Exporting Suburbanism

Developing countries have begun importing Western-style pro-sprawl urban planning policies, often to their detriment. Kuala Lumpur and cities across the communist world are examined.

September 7, 2010 - Market Urbanism

RLUIPA and the Mosque-Building Controversy

The recent controversies surrounding the building of mosques in cities across America have their resolution in one simple acronym: RLUIPA.

September 6, 2010 - The New York Times

Has American Individualism Failed Society as a Whole?

Mary Newsom questions the current and diminishing lack of public worth in the United States today. " Americans have stopped believing that value is something everyone deserves," she writes.

September 6, 2010 - Charlotte Observer

Temporary Autonomous Zones Alter Public Space in The UK

The increase in outdoor music festivals, guerrilla gardening, temporary restaurants, cinemas and pop-up shops are all examples of "a growing appetite for transforming our apparently prosaic, profit-led landscape into something else."

September 4, 2010 - The Guardian

Dubai's Formula of Tax Free Economic Zones and Mass Tourism Doesn't Work

Joshua Hammer describes his visit to the financially straitened emirate where he found "deserted highways, empty hotel rooms, miles of unsold residential and office space."

September 3, 2010 - The New York Review of Books

Curbing Corruption

Rick Cole, City Manager of Ventura, California, says the recent scandal over inflated city staff salaries in Bell could have been easily avoided with a few simple precautions.

September 2, 2010 - Citiwire.net

New York Passes Smart Growth Bill

Governor David Paterson signed The Smart Growth Public Policy Infrastructure Policy Act on Monday, which directs the state to invest in infrastructure in dense communities rather than sprawling ones.

September 1, 2010 - New Urban Network

The Scuffle Over "Livability"

Representative Earl Blumenauer talks about the recent defeat of livability programs in the Transportation Appropriations Bill.

September 1, 2010 - The Planning Report

Bus Riders Union Blasts L.A.'s 30/10 Plan

A proposal in L.A. to use recently approved funding to push 30 years of transportation projects into the next decade has elicited a protest from the city's Bus Riders Union.

September 1, 2010 - Streetsblog L.A.

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.