The Planetizen News Brief

• Artist: Planetizen
• Title: Planetizen Podcast - 2007-08-23 - The Planetizen News Brief
• Album: Planetizen Podcast
• Year: 2007
• Length: 4:20 minutes (4.02 MB)
• Format: Stereo 22kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

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Full Transcript

The federal government recently announced more than $800 million worth of grants to help cities build toll roads and enact other measures to reduce traffic congestion. But an article from The New York Times shows that this is only one of the two faces the government has in regards to traffic congestion. A provision in the federal tax code lets commuters claim up to $215 per month to pay to park at work. That amounts to about a thousand dollars per year for each of the 400,000 drivers who make the tax claim. So while the government’s $800 million in new grants is aimed at getting more people off the road, it’s giving nearly $400 million worth of tax breaks that do exactly the opposite – by making it even more desirable to drive to work.

Meanwhile, in Aspen, Colorado, city officials are trying to do what they can to encourage more people to get off the roads. But they’re taking a slightly unconventional approach – and one that is making some local commuters a little mad. The Aspen Daily News reports that despite increasingly heavy congestion on a two-lane highway that leads into the city, transit officials have no plans for highway expansion. In fact, they hope the congestion gets even worse. Then, they say, more people will see the benefit of taking advantage of the region’s public transit system and park-and-ride lots. But some commuters say the no-action proposal will have no positive effect on the highway’s congestion and will only serve to inconvenience a lot of drivers.

And in suburban Atlanta, another unconventional approach is being taken. Four neighborhoods have successfully gained independence from the city of Atlanta over the last two years. But in these new cities, there are no city halls, and hardly any public employees. Each of them has elected to outsource the vast majority of public government services to a single private firm, making these cities the country’s most closely watched experiments in public administration. The extent of the firm’s role varies by city, but includes the administration of city tax and revenue collection, public works, community development, planning, and zoning. Some worry, however, that the firm will be too efficient at enforcing city codes and that will discourage revenue growth. But others in the relatively affluent new towns say enforcing codes to achieve the city’s vision should take precedence over increasing revenue.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

Federal Government Encourages Car Use While Fighting Congestion

Aspen To Encourage Transit Use By Keeping Congested Highway As Is

Outsourcing City Hall