Federal Government

Securities and Exchange Commission office in Washington, D.C.

Office Vacancies at Federal Agencies as High as 75 Percent

Many federal agencies are sitting on underutilized buildings, causing a congressional committee to call into question the need for so much real estate.

October 11, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Affordable Housing

Report Makes 'The Case for Social Housing'

The economic disruption of the pandemic has strengthened public support—even among Republicans—for an ambitious social housing program at the federal level, according to the findings of a recent report.

December 30, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

Terminal Island Freeway Commodore Schuyler F Heim Bridge

Infrastructure Policy Reform, From the Ground Up

Brookings provides a manifesto, of sorts, to suggest an entirely new path forward on infrastructure policy.

December 9, 2019 - Brookings

Congresswoman

How the Green New Deal Could Transform the Built Environment

If it emulated and adapted the scope of its predecessor, the Green New Deal could transform the country in fundamental ways, with builders, planners, and architects playing central roles.

July 27, 2019 - Fast Company

Capitol Hill

How Much Influence Can the Federal Government Have on the Housing Crisis?

A couple of questions are fundamental to the debate about the housing affordability crisis.

July 8, 2019 - Urban Institute

President Donald Trump

Democrats Make Peace With Trump for the Sake of a $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

Details about what the federal infrastructure plan would spend money, or where it would get the money to spend, have yet to be revealed.

April 30, 2019 - The New York Times

Commute

Opinion: Even the Green New Deal Repeats the Same Old Sprawling Mistakes

With infrastructure and housing prices in the national discussion more than ever before, the federal government still doesn't seem ready to really change its ways.

March 26, 2019 - Route Fifty

California Central Valley

Let's Hope Trump Considers Infrastructure a National Security Issue Too

Maybe, just maybe, Trump might also be willing to consider the decaying condition of U.S. infrastructure a matter of national security. And if Congress played along, perhaps we'd get a 2019 Infrastructure bill. That's how Eisenhower did it.

January 14, 2019 - Robert Fischer

U.S. Capital

Year in Review: The APA's Advocacy Work in Washington, D.C.

The APA noted that the 115th Congress was "marked by divisive rhetoric, partisan stalemates, and threats to programs on which local communities rely." At the end of the year, however, it could still celebrate substantial victories.

December 26, 2018 - American Planning Association

Concord, California

Plans for Immigrant 'Detention Centers' Revealed at Military Sites Around the U.S.

Plans for temporary facilities designed to house between 25,000 to 45,000 people have been revealed by Time Magazine. Sites in Alabama, Arizona, California,

June 25, 2018 - Time

Volunteers

When Coastal States Kill Building Codes, FEMA Pays

Despite the increasing number and intensity of natural disasters, some vulnerable states are relaxing building regulations and leaving the federal government to pick up the tab when tragedy strikes again.

April 5, 2018 - Bloomberg

Ohio River

Army Corps: Climate Change Could Devastate Ohio River Region

The agency's report shows that inland-dwellers are just as likely as coastal types to be deeply affected by climate change.

December 2, 2017 - The Courier-Journal

U.S. Census

More Bad News From the U.S. Census: Economic Census Delayed Six Months

A budget shortfall for Census 2020 has already claimed one victim: the timely delivery of the five-year Economic Census.

October 14, 2017 - Politico

Federal Building

Making the Most of the Federal Government's Vast Portfolio of Commercial Properties

As the largest commercial property holder int he United States, the federal government's development plans can contribute to the economic and cultural success of communities.

September 5, 2017 - Governing

Stormwater

One Way Washington Could Move Forward on Infrastructure

The WIFIA federal loans program provides start-up capital to local water infrastructure projects. The program is designed to encourage experimentation and cost-effective construction strategies.

August 17, 2017 - Brookings

Trump Sign

Malign Neglect? Urban Policy in the Trump Era

How much do we have to fear from the president-elect's policy plans for urban America? We can hope that he will follow his party's playbook and largely ignore the cities, but potential changes to housing policy are more serious.

December 1, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

163:365 - Green Energy

Federal Agencies to Consider Climate Impacts

A new policy from the Obama Administration asks government to calculate, and attempt to lower, their carbon emissions.

August 15, 2016 - Washington Post

Phoenix is Crane City

Op-Ed: Investing in Cities Could Cure 'Short-Termism'

Bruce Katz argues that federal investment in urban areas fosters a public/private ecosystem that can prioritize long-term thinking, minimizing the "short-termism" endemic to corporations and governments acting alone.

April 28, 2016 - Brookings

Toronto Regent Park

Canada Is Looking Better and Better

Alan Mallach unpacks a remarkable project currently underway in Toronto, suggesting that sometimes higher, rather than lower, density may be the best way to go.

April 3, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

A New 'Federalist Roadmap' to Let Cities Lead the Nation

Bruce Katz has an idea: "A year out from next year’s presidential election, let’s dispel the pervasive myth that the federal government runs the country."

November 5, 2015 - Brookings

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.