Government / Politics
Will Pennsylvania Become the 11th State in the Northeast to Price Carbon Emissions?
Pennsylvania is the nation’s #2 natural gas producer, #3 in coal, and #4 in carbon emissions. Gov. Tom Wolf issued an executive order on Oct. 3 to initiate the process to join the regional cap-and-trade program, but will the legislature allow it?
S.F. Plan Amendment to Allow Bay Filling
A revision to the region’s plan for the bay will allow areas to be filled in to create habitats that mitigate the effects of climate change.
L.A. Metro Report Examines How Women Travel
Findings from a new study about the mobility needs and concerns of women in Los Angeles will inform future initiatives and planning.
Toronto Sets More Ambitious Climate Change Goals
The city is considering a proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions even more by aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050.
Memphis Vehicle Fee Would Help Fund Transit
The proposed fee on households with multiple vehicles would generate $9 million to improve the region’s transit system.
Reducing Transportation Emissions by Targeting Fuel Suppliers
Modeled on the nation's first mandatory cap-and-trade program that only targets power plant emissions, the Transportation & Climate Initiative subjects transportation fuel to a similar market-based program. It took a major step forward on Oct. 1.
Albuquerque Exceeds Water Conservation Goals
The city says water conservation programs and customer cutbacks have resulted in a drop in water usage.
Is National Rent Control the Right Answer?
Proposed legislation from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a move toward more progressive housing policy. But critics say the one-size-fits-all approach is not the best solution for addressing the national housing crisis.
New Priorities, Not More Money, Need to Reform Federal Transportation Policy
Transportation for America, one of the leading advocacy organizations for multi-modal funding at the federal level, has announced a drastic change to its agenda.
Conflict in Philadelphia Over Church Parking in Bike Lanes
A long-standing policy allows parking in front of churches and synagogues but leaves cars blocking bike lanes, and cyclists want the practice to end.
Watch: The Dark Side of Eminent Domain
In cities like Boston, the government’s right to take private property displaced residents and destroyed vulnerable neighborhoods and communities.
Seattle Light Rail Expansion Brings Redevelopment Boom
The city’s Northgate Link extension has spurred development around the new stations, and one neighborhood is poised to change dramatically.
All That Could Have Been: Transit Planning in Maryland
Maryland approved ambitious plans for public transit expansion around Baltimore in 2002, but almost none of it became a reality. With a new plan in the works, transit boosters assess the loss of a generation's worth of progress.
Solo-Occupant Hybrid Vehicles Lose Access to Carpool Lanes
A change in federal law on Monday meant that over 16,000 Virginia motorists must double or triple-up when using carpool lanes in Virginia. Next month, electric vehicles will need three occupants to drive free on I-395 when HOV lanes become HOT.
Two New California Laws Take Aim at Pollution from Heavy-Duty Trucks
Trucks, which disproportionately contribute toward air pollution, will soon be subject to similar types of smog checks that apply to light-duty vehicles. A second bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom will spur movement toward cleaner alternatives.
Boston's Zoning Board Called Out for Conflicts of Interest
The Boston Globe reports on reasons to suspect more conflicts of interest than there appears on the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal.
Virginia Interstate Widening Would Convert Free Lanes to Toll Lanes
The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization is proposing a 45-mile network of high-occupancy toll lanes on I–64 that includes conversions of 16 miles of carpool and three miles of general-purpose lanes. No unpriced lanes would be added.
Portland Surpassing Its Housing Bond Targets
Three years after passing a $256 million housing bond, city officials in Portland, Oregon, report that over 1,400 units of affordable housing will result from planned and completed projects.
What's Hindering Regional Transportation in the U.S.?
Public transportation that serves regional areas makes sense, but the United States has been slow to pursue strategies and policies that foster these types of systems.
Op-Ed: Feds 'Obsessed' with Undermining National Monument
Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is under severe assault from the Trump administration, Stephen Trimble writes. Long the focus of preservation efforts, the protected land is being opened up for extractive uses.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
