Governing

Alex Marshall investigates the reasons why America's infrastructure resembles a third world country's, and decides that we have our arcane budgeting processes to blame.

In California, a recent poll, according to Charles Chieppo, brought bad news stating that 53% of the states voters approved a $9.9 billion bond three years ago, but of those polled, 64% support a re-vote, and 59% would vote no if they had the chance.

Speaking before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood defended the viability of the President's ambitious, national high-speed rail program.

Crime in urban areas is on the decline. Some attribute the drop to increases in the amount of people returning to city centers.

Every summer, tiny Manchester, Tennessee, becomes a metropolis of rockers and concertgoers as the Bonnaroo music festival comes to a nearby farm. This piece from Governing looks at how the town adapts to the surge.

The US Department of Transportation will begin accepting applications for the transportation grants on August 22nd.

Geomapping data is helping police in cities address problem areas, improve unsafe intersections and improve overall efficiency.

Zach Patton details the effects of Seattle's zoning regulation which allows for the construction of "backyard cottages." These cottages, writes the author, are a viable way to increase urban density and provide affordable housing.

Americans are getting older. But are cities responding to the needs of their older residents?

The gas tax should be viewed as that, a tax, and anything else is fundamentally wrong, writes Alex Marshall.

While some cities in Florida have shelled out big money to build baseball stadia for professional teams' spring training, many of those teams are moving their spring programs to other cities, raising concerns about the wisdom of those investments.

As one of the highest ranking federal officials to take on the role of city mayor, newly elected Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel could provide a boon to his city and others.

In the wake of the disasters which devastated parts of Japan, Russell Nichols of Governing investigates the state of disaster preparedness in US cities and states.

Despite recent state actions to counter the federal government's efforts, President Barack Obama has called on the nation's governors to make infrastructure projects a priority.

NYC's Deputy Mayor of Operations Stephen Goldsmith reflects on the value of listening to people, and talks about the new crowdsourcing projects the city is rolling out.

Struggling cities in the Rust Belt are actually luring a new surge of younger populations, according to this piece from Governing.

Mayors across the country are facing the possible loss of federal Community Development Block Grants, which could pull many local projects aimed at helping low-income residents to a halt.

Cities seeking to become more tech-savvy and open up their data are turning to independent software developers to solve their problems.

As the economic downturn has caused many states and municipalities to borrow large amounts of money, some worry there may be a glut of them going bankrupt.

With infrastructure aging, technology is increasingly relied upon to assess the safety of bridges. Many places are finding that simple monitoring devices can help save money.