Government / Politics
Pandemic's New Phase: Spreading to Rural and Urban Areas Alike
A top public health expert in the Trump administration warned that the U.S. is in a "new phase" of the pandemic, different from March and April when the coronavirus largely affected a few big cities. Now urban and rural areas alike are vulnerable.
The Policy That Will Replace the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule
The Trump administration didn't just dismantle an Obama-era fair housing rule—it replaced it with a new policy of its own called Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice.
Mask Mandates Without Enforcement Amount to Half-Measures
Issuing a ticket to a pedestrian for not wearing a mask in Miami is like issuing a ticket to a motorist for not wearing a seatbelt, states a specially-detailed Miami police officer. Welcome to the "new normal" in this coronavirus hotspot.
Questioning the Fairness of Rezoning During a Pandemic
Virtual reality meetings are a poor substitute for the normal public engagement process included in the city of New York's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, according ton opinion piece recently published by City Limits.
How Trump's Version of the Suburbs Gets it Wrong
Analysis of Trump's favorability ratings with suburban voters and the demographic trends of recent years could doom his recent messages regarding the Democratic agenda for the suburbs.
Opinion: The Zoning Reform Discourse Needs a Dose of Reality
Lately it seems like people are forgetting that zoning is a legal process, requiring the support of elected officials.
Detroit Highways: Tear Them Down
Urban planning decisions about highway placement in Detroit damaged Black communities. Nithin Vejendla shares an opinion about how to address this legacy and move toward justice.
A Grim Coronavirus Milestone: 150,000 American Deaths
A grim warning was issued by the non-profit group that represents America's medical schools and teaching hospitals: if the nation doesn't change its response to the pandemic, "Multiples of hundreds of thousands" of additional deaths may occur.
L.A. Officials Wrestle With Future of Projects Approved in Corruption Case
Some high-profile projects, including a 77-story tower, hang in the balance of a federal corruption case, but it's unclear whether Los Angeles can undo the approvals, whether they were achieved through bribes or not.
Campaign Launched to Halt State Reopenings and Start Over
During March and April, most states shut down all but essential services in order to "flatten the curve," and it largely worked. What happened afterward didn't. U.S. PIRG has organized a campaign to start the process over and do it right.
Outrage Over Trump's Fair Housing Victory Lap
President Trump took to Twitter today to celebrate his administration's decision to rescind the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, approved by the Obama administration to strengthen the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Do You Know Your COVID-19 Colors?
Harvard University's Global Health Insititute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics have launched a new online tool for planners, policy makers, and the public to determine the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in one's county and state.
John Lewis: Leading by Example
When a great political leader dies, the usual stories told about him or her focus on accomplishments that moved the nation. I’ve been touched by the extent of memories about John Lewis that are coming from constituents, neighbors, and strangers.
The Great Debate: Will the Pandemic Alter the Course of Urbanism?
The geography for the coronavirus has changed, but most of the debate about the future of cities continues along many of the same lines as in the early months of the pandemic.
Beleaguered Texas Hospital to Ration Treatment of COVID Patients
A second county in the Rio Grande Valley has issued an unenforceable stay-at-home order to reduce transmission of the coronavirus. Its one overwhelmed hospital will implement a triage system to determine which patients to treat and whom to reject.
Texas County First in Nation to Issue Second Stay-at-Home Order
The first shelter-at-home order issued in the pandemic's resurgence in the U.S. took effect Wednesday morning in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, an overwhelmingly Latino region that has been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.
Three Key Calls to Action to Improve Racial Equity in Transit Policy
Important changes are necessary to promote racial equity in transit policy, governance, and agency recruitment, according to Darnell Grisby, director of policy development at the American Public Transit Association.
Where the Coronavirus Is on Track for Containment in the U.S.
As the virus surges throughout the South and West and heads north into the Midwest, the Northeast is the one region that has weathered the current phase of the pandemic the best. As of July 21, only one state in the U.S. is on track to contain COVID.
Ohio House Speaker Arrested on Bribery Charges Connected to $1 Billion Nuclear Industry Bailout
A bombshell in Ohio, as the FBI arrested Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four colleagues on bribery charges connected with a $1 billion bailout for the state's nuclear industry.
Black Californians Leaving the City and Reshaping the State
Hundreds of thousands of Black Californians are moving away from urban areas, opting for the promise of abundance and opportunity offered by suburban communities, a trend referred to as "California's Black exodus."
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
