Government / Politics
Phoenix City Council Could Shift Transportation Funding From Light Rail to Streets
The Phoenix City Council took a very early step in the process of delaying and potentially killing long-term plans for public transit in the city.
Light Rail From Durham to Orange Finds Final Funding Piece
Planners behind a new 17-mile light rail system that will connect the cities and employers in the Research Triangle in North Carolina overcame a change of funding plans by the state.
Tar Sands Oil Just Lost Another Outlet, For Now
It was viewed as a "David vs. Goliath" pipeline fight: the city of South Portland, Maine against a pipeline company backed by Big Oil. The city had passed a zoning ordinance preventing the export of oil which would have impacted public health.
The Local Journalists Who Keep City Planning in the News
Planetizen's 2018 "Top Twitter" list focuses on the local journalists who work hard to keep planning projects and processes in the public eye.
'Rebuilding California': Controversy Over Signs Telling People Their Tax Dollars Are at Work
Caltrans says signs on transportation projects are nothing more than a useful way to show taxpayers that gas tax funds are being put to good use. But not everyone agrees.
Making Older Coal Power Plants More Efficient Without Making Them Cleaner
At the center of the EPA's newly proposed Affordable Clean Energy rule is doing away with a permitting process known as New Source Review that requires coal power plants to add scrubbers and other expensive pollution control equipment when upgraded.
Balloons and Straws: Where's the Connection?
Think "The Graduate," but now the emphasis in the future of plastics may be on restrictions. California may become the first state to restrict access to plastic straws, and balloons could be next due to the harm they cause the marine environment.
Shrinking Towns Seek the Right to Dissolve
Small jurisdictions in Pennsylvania are losing population and revenue, and some of them are ready to call it a day.
Gabriel Metcalf Reflects On 20 Years Of Change In Bay Area
For over 20 years, few people have understood or influenced the Bay Area like Gabriel Metcalf, president of San Francisco Planning and Urban Research. Metcalf recently announced a move to Sydney, Australia, and reflected the past two decades.
Tenants in Rent Controlled Buildings in California to Gain EV Charging
An exemption to an existing law was removed Monday when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that affords tenants in rent-controlled buildings the same right to request electric vehicle charging capability as renters in unregulated apartments.
Facebook Among Targets of HUD's Latest Round of Fair Housing Enforcement
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is taking on one big fish and a few little fish in the battle against housing discrimination.
NIMBYs: The Rare Bipartisan Coalition in the United States
One thing liberals and conservatives can both agree on: opposition to development projects.
'Affordable Clean Energy Rule' Proposed to Replace Clean Power Plan
On Tuesday, EPA released its new rule to regulate emissions from existing power plants, essentially leaving it to the states to determine appropriate emissions levels rather than setting actual standards each state has to meet like the current rule.
Floodplain Development Grows as Regulations Shrink
More Americans are moving to high-risk flood zones as environmental deregulation wins the day.
China Population: From Explosion to Implosion
China's one-child policy, which compelled couples to seek abortions or undergo sterilization procedures, ended in October 2015. Yet the country's birth rate hasn't increased, and Communist Party officials are concerned about economic growth.
BART TOD Bill Advances Despite Opposition from East Bay Cities
Amidst fierce opposition from East Bay cities who want to control the destiny of BART parking lots in their jurisdictions, Assembly Bill 2923, which would partially preempt local land use authority, passed a critical committee last Thursday.
Portland's Regional Congestion Pricing Program Widens and Advances
It might be the nation's most significant but least known congestion pricing plan. The plan originally recommended tolling all lanes on segments of two interstates. Four more roads were just added to broaden the plan.
Washington Voters to Decide on Carbon Tax in November
Initiative 1631 takes up where Gov. Jay Inslee's carbon tax legislation ended in March after failing to attract enough supporters. The new initiative differs from I- 732 which was rejected by 59 percent of voters two years ago.
Signatures Submitted for Initiative to Reform California Proposition 13
A coalition of groups advocating for more funding for local communities and schools want to reform the landmark tax-cutting initiative by treating commercial and industrial properties different than residential, creating the so-called "split roll."
Opposition on a New Level: Invoking the Ancient Rite of Clameur de Haro
According to legend, the Clameur de Haro stretches back to the early Norman period in the Channel Islands. Rosie Henderson, from Guernsey in the Channel Islands just invoked the rite to oppose a road narrowing project.
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.
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Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
