Government / Politics
Florida Residents Sue To Prevent Eminent Domain
A day after Riviera Beach contracted with a developer for hotels, condos, marinas, shops and a new harbor, and 4 months after Gov. Bush signed a law outlawing government seizure of land for private development, 4 property owners filed a suit.
California's Not As Green As It Thinks It Is
The state with the most wind-generated energy is not California but Texas. Notwithstanding all its headline-making, landmark laws, renewable energy has increased a mere 1% in 4 years. The obstacles appear to lay more in bureaucracy than technology.
Carbon Emission Standards Requested In Planning Policy
Environmentalists and land use activists in the United Kingdom are calling on planners and policymakers to integrate standards that reduce carbon emissions within their official planning policies.
Boston Battles Over Park Name
In Boston, the naming of public spaces can be more challenging than actually building it in the first place.
Will New York City Go On A 'Zoning' Diet?
Following in the footsteps of cities in California, Michigan, and Massachusetts, the New York City Council majority leader is throwing his weight behind a proposal to restrict the number of high-calorie, fast-food giants in the city's neighborhoods.
California Sues Auto Industry Over Global Warming
With the State of California recently moving to seek damages from car makers, could auto manufacturers be the new tobacco industry -- ripe for litigation due to the global warming emissions from the vehicles they produce?
Toll Road Controversy Changes Colorado Law On Private Takings
When a developer proposed building a toll road under an 1891 law that allowed private developers to condemn property needed for a road, land owners protested, and Colorado changed the law.
Judge Rules Against Bush Forest Roads Policy
Judge reinstates Clinton-era protections against logging, mining, and road building in national forests.
Friday Funny: Celebrating New Orleans' Recovery
An animation by Mark Fiore reviews the New Orleans rebuilding effort.
S.F. Redevelopment Opposition Denied On Technicality
A referendum opposing a redevelopment plan signed by more than 33,000 San Francisco voters has been ruled invalid, angering many who feel that the city is bending rules to appease developers and gentrify their neighborhood.
Stockholm Votes In Congestion Pricing -- And Its Opponents
Sorting out the politics of Stockholm congestion charging with James Savage, editor-in-chief of the Swedish, English-language newspaper, The Local.
Canada's Cities Demand Funding For Transit, Housing
With growing need for new infrastructure in Canada's growing urban centers, city officials are seeking to reclaim some of the revenue they send to Ottawa.
Waiting For Recovery, Eager To Plan
More than half of the residents in the small unincorporated community of Henderson Point, Mississippi, turned out to help begin planning for the rebuilding of their completely devastated community.
Bio-Diesel As A Rural Development Strategy
Having become the world leader in ethanol production, Brazil turns to bio-diesel, with a policy that is intended to benefit small, family farms so as to keep them on their land, and benefit President Luiz da Silva in his reelection bid.
Al Gore Delivers Major Speech On Global Warming
In a major "policy speech" Al Gore proposes a strategy to combat global warming. He is also working on a new book to be published next year.
Cuba's Crumbling Infrastructure
Even as its economy improves, Cuba instructure is falling apart.
Report Shows UK Land Levy Ineffectual
A proposed land levy in the UK that is intended to raise funding for local governments has been shown in recent reports to fail to increase the amount of money trickling down to local municipalities.
Anti-Sprawl Law Revised To Encourage Sprawl
Revision to a Maryland state homebuying assistance program is catching some resistance from smart growth advocates as changed language seems to go against the original anti-sprawl intent.
Community Voices Heard in L.A.
Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles have stopped the city's elected Council from using a misleading title for a ballot initiative facing voters in November. The volunteer groups are moving closer to providing a voice for the community at City Hall.
California Emission Law Has Its Day In Court
In U.S. District Court in Fresno on Sept. 15, a California deputy attorney general asked Judge Ishii to dismiss a suit by the auto industry that would void the state's new emission standards, applicable in 2009, that target carbon dioxide.
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