Government / Politics

Utah

The Nation’s Fastest Growing Town Needs More Water

Cheap water flows freely to the golf courses of St. George, Utah, but all the new residents mean it’s going to have to increase supply or reduce demand—or both.

May 31, 2018 - CityLab

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

Oregon's 86 Opportunity Zones Include 'High Rent' Districts in Portland

Oregon is the latest state to join the nascent federal program, which is designed to stimulate investment in distressed areas.

May 29, 2018 - KGW

Dockless Scooter

New Chapter in the San Francisco Scooter Wars: Removal

The city attorney vows to bring order to the streets (and sidewalks) of San Francisco by requiring electric scooter share companies to apply for permits. First step: all e-scooters must be removed by June 4, or risk a $100 fine per day per scooter.

May 29, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Central Park

Lago Approaches New York City as a 'City of Neighborhoods'

The latest installment of the "Planners Across America" series features New York City Planning Director and Planning Commission Chair Marisa Lago.

May 29, 2018 - Josh Stephens

Ohio

Pedestrians Not Allowed Within Three Feet of Cars in Dayton

The new law is billed as a pedestrian safety measure, which is just one of the problems with the law according to critics.

May 28, 2018 - Dayton Daily News

Walkable Urban Commercial District

Raising the Meal Tax to Pay for Affordable Housing

Is anybody up for happy hour in Alexandria?

May 26, 2018 - The Washington Post

Wind farm and greenhouse gas farm, together

California Poll: Voters Likely to Repeal 12-Cents Gas Tax Increase in November

It's not looking good for transportation advocates who want to retain over $5 billion in annual transportation funding made possible the passage of a bill last year that enabled the first gas tax increase in California since 1994.

May 25, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles STreet

Mobility as a Symphony: Los Angeles Prepares for Transportation of the Future

LADOT is rehearsing now for the day it has to manage autonomous vehicles alongside delivery drones and air taxis.

May 25, 2018 - The Planning Report

Washington D.C.

EPA to Rescind Flammable Chemical Regulations Crafted After 2013 Explosion

A deadly explosion in West, Texas spurred the Obama administration to update regulations to the chemical industry.

May 23, 2018 - The Washington Post

California Coas

How Best to Pay for Park, Wildlife, and Water Improvements

Only one of the five propositions on California's June primary ballot is a general obligation bond measure. Prop. 68 authorizes $4 billion for projects benefiting parks and water quality. Opponents prefer a pay-as-you-go approach using general funds.

May 23, 2018 - The Mercury News

Stormwater Infrastructure

No Opposition to California Proposition Promoting Stormwater Capture

Voters looking for a reason to vote against Prop 72, which provides a tax break for homeowners who install rainwater capture systems, won't find one. None were submitted. Proponents of measures for parks, climate, and transportation are not so lucky.

May 22, 2018 - KQED Science

New York Apartments

The Endangered Rent-Stabilized Apartment in New York City

Laws that control rent-stabilized apartments have been weakened over the last 25 years while the surging economy drives many of these units into the free market.

May 21, 2018 - The New York Times

Solar Residential

Details of the Golden State's Residential Solar Requirement

San Francisco Chronicle energy reporter David R. Baker sheds some light on the nation's first state building code requiring that solar panels be included in new home construction, adopted by the California Energy Commission on May 9.

May 21, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Hollywood Sign

L.A.'s Anti-Density Advocate Still Hopes to Make Planners 'Uncomfortable'

One of the main forces behind Measure S spills her thoughts on Hollywood, homelessness and what’s wrong with planning in Los Angeles.

May 20, 2018 - Curbed Los Angeles

Port of Oakland

Federal Judge Strikes Down Oakland's Ban on Coal Exports

Shipping coal from Utah to export to Asia through a new cargo facility in Oakland, California took a significant step forward on May 15 with a strongly worded ruling condemning the adequacy of the city of Oakland's environmental analysis.

May 18, 2018 - KQED: California Report

Downtown Dallas

Dallas Considers a Major Revision to its Tree Ordinance

Neither environmentalists nor developers like the city’s current regulations around tree removal, but there is praise on both sides for the “smart and nimble” new version.

May 18, 2018 - D Magazine

Washington, Oregon Border

Priced Lane or Priced Roadway?

The Pacific Northwest's Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area is studying options to add congestion pricing to one or two interstates.

May 17, 2018 - The Oregonian

Seattle Homeless

The Cost of Solving Homelessness in Seattle: $400 Million

It’s "dramatically higher" than any number under discussion, and not even close to what the city will raise with its new tax on large businesses.

May 17, 2018 - Crosscut

California

San Diego County Officials Ask State to Lower Housing Production Goal

The San Diego Association of Governments requested that the number of new housing units that the state housing agency assign the state's second largest county be reduced to more accurately reflect what the 18 cities and county can actually build.

May 15, 2018 - KPBS

Coal Power Plants to Retire Faster Under Trump

Coal plants will retire faster than analysts had figured under the Clean Power Plan, which the Trump administration is repealing, yet the Department of Energy proposes to make building new coal plants a centerpiece of its energy policy.

May 15, 2018 - Forbes

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.