The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has launched a new campaign "to help cities confront an epidemic of insolvency and restore the capacity for local governments to provide basic services and plan for the future."
The Municipal Fiscal Health campaign, announced recently by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, focuses on the structural elements of the fiscal stress prohibiting many municipalities from investing in critical infrastructure, like sewers, roads, and levees. A post on the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy website explains more about the campaign, organizing its presentation around six "key areas": 1) Intersection of Planning and Public Finance, 2) Land-Based Municipal Revenues, 3) Multi-Level Governance, 4) Monitoring Fiscal Health and Local Transparency, 5) Capital Accounts and Infrastructure Investment, and 6) Unfunded Obligations.
George W. McCarthy, president and CEO of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, also penned an article for Citiscope that explains the campaign's forthcoming push at the UN-HABITAT global summit, Habitat III, in Quito Ecuador in October 2016. In the article, McCarthy argues that matters of financing should be a more prominent part of the planning and land use conversation—in the United States and around the world.
One specific recommendation, among others, included in the article: "planners need to be trained in public finance so that they can design projects that are financially feasible, in coordination with public finance efforts. This allows for key investments to be better timed and for a full-cost accounting of projects to be carried out, so that maintenance expenses are built in from the beginning."
FULL STORY: Promoting Municipal Fiscal Health
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
‘Micro-Apartment’ Trend Underscores Housing Crisis
SROs are making a comeback under a new name as the housing supply remains strained and costs soar.
Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing
Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.
Indian States Give Women Free Bus Passes
The programs are part of an initiative aimed at helping more women join the workforce and improving access to basic needs.
Study: How to Revitalize Downtown Minneapolis
A proposal calls for a reevaluation of the city’s skyways, a focus on street-facing businesses, and an improved public realm.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.