Government / Politics
Keeping Public Space Public In Knoxville
Downtown Knoxville has seen many improvements in recent years. This column calls on the city to be careful how it lets private interests use downtown's new public spaces.
Homelessness Continues to Plague New Orleans
By some counts, the number of homeless people in New Orleans has more than doubled since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Aid workers are hoping a bill in Congress will bring extra aid to the struggling city.
A 'One Size Fits All' Rule For Affordable Housing Doesn't Work
Requiring all cities and towns to building affordable housing is bad policy. The focus should be on building housing in existing urban areas near jobs and transit, not in rural and suburban towns.
Bush Considers Massive Marine Conservation Effort
The Bush Administration is reportedly considering the creation of some of the world's large marine reserves by using the presidential powers granted by the Antiquities Act of 1906.
The Failure of Long-Range Metropolitan Transportation Planning
In a policy analysis for the Cato Institute, Randal O'Toole reviews plans for more than 75 of the nation's largest metropolitan areas reveals that virtually all of them fail to follow standard planning methods, and half of them are not effective.
Generations of Planning Commissioners
Planning and zoning commissions need to be diverse to make sure the broad range of issues and concerns are considered. That requires commissioners who are from different parts of town, different walks of life, different ethnic backgrounds, and now, different age groups.
Parking Lot Hotels Serve Homeless
An outreach counseling group in Santa Barbara, California, has worked with the city to set up 12 parking lots where people can sleep in their cars at night -- an act that is illegal on city streets.
A City Devoid Of Billboards
Under a bold plan from the city's Mayor, the 11 million residents of Sao Paulo, Brazil, are enjoying a city free from outdoor advertising.
Engaging The Public In Land Use Decisions
A committee in Baltimore charged with the task of encouraging more public involvement in land use decisions is learning how difficult that can be as it faces criticism that its own meetings didn't get enough participation from residents.
Pennsylvania Leases Turnpike To Private Consortium For $12.8 Billion
Though the deal still needs approval from the Pennsylvania legislature, the state hopes to generate over $1 billion a year for road, bridge and transit improvements from the proceeds.
Developer To SF: Let's Make A Deal On Affordable Housing
Hoping to head off a competing ballot measure, Miami-based developer Lennar Corp. has voluntarily agreed to set aside 3,200 of the planned 10,000 homes on San Francisco's Hunters and Candlestick Point for low- and moderate-income families.
Making Amtrak A National Priority
With ridership up nationwide, the next president should start getting serious about investing in passenger rail service, argues a recent column.
Trading Planning Tips With Shanghai
While the city's regional approach is the envy of many American planners, Shanghai is also guilty of top-down planning that may end up encouraging sprawl.
Did Smart Growth Policies Save Oregon's Housing Market?
Oregon's housing market has faired far better than other areas of the country, with some experts agreeing that the state's more restrictive land-use policies helped to prevent an oversupply of homes during the free-wheeling mortgage years.
Coping With Vacant Big Boxes
To deal with the problem of vacant big-box stores that have proliferated across the country, one Milwaukee suburb is levying a fee on developers to help pay for demolition. Other cities are exploring similar options.
Virginia Governor Seeks Sales Tax Raise For Transit Projects
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has proposed a plan to raise sales taxes in the state to help fund public transportation projects -- a plan similar to one voters turned down in 2002. But this time, voters won't be involved in the decision.
Dirty Politics Keeping Sprawl Alive in Florida
This commentary claims that dirty politics have prevented Florida voters from being able to control sprawl in their communities.
Congressman Says U.S. Needs To Get Onboard High Speed Rail
The top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is leading a bill to fund new high-speed rail, stating he's ready to fight the air travel lobby that has traditionally opposed plans for high-speed rail.
Should Seattle Wait To Plan Its Light Rail Expansion?
Instead of asking residents to consider a timid plan this November, the region's transit agency should wait until its first light rail line opens, and gas prices rise even higher. Voters will then be ready for a grander plan, argues a recent column.
Cities Want Banks To Pay For Blight Caused By Foreclosures
Minneapolis is one of several cities that have filed lawsuits against mortgage companies, seeking damages for the blight caused by the large number of foreclosures in some of its neighborhoods.
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
