Government / Politics
After Harvey, Texas Tries State-Run Disaster Relief, With Mixed Results
The scale of the housing recovery effort means some jobs normally handles by FEMA have fallen to the Texas General Land Office.
Baltimore Releases a Five-Year 'Digital Transformation Strategic Plan'
Good IT is critical to good customer service, as anyone who has ever worked a counter in knows.
German Cities to Breathe Easier After Court Ruling on Diesel Car Bans
Unlike banning sales of new internal combustion vehicles at a future date, the German court ruling applies to the operation of older, diesel-powered cars in the country's most polluted cities. It's up to the cities, though, to enact the bans.
How the Federal Government Wants to Use 'Social Impact Partnerships'
Taking cues from the Trump Administration's recently-released infrastructure plan, the government intends to use a public-private partnership model to take on social challenges.
Survey: Anti-Developer Sentiment Drives Anti-Development Sentiment
All planners encounter passionate obstructionist activity at some point. While the reasoning for anti-development is often discussed, it's still not a widely understood force in the planning process and the evolution of cities.
Trump's Infrastructure Plan Looks Dead on Arrival
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) seems to think there's no way the Trump Infrastructure plan gets taken up by Congress before the November election.
L.A. Developer Caught Making Illegal Campaign Donations
Developer Samuel Leung is facing shocking counts of conspiracy, money laundering, and bribery.
Presenting Municipal Data in an Interactive Map, Nashville Style
The city of Nashville launched the NashView interactive data map earlier this month.
Lessons on Resilience and Recovery from 2017's Worst Disasters
Dissecting successful disaster response in places like Houston and Mexico City could help California prepare for the inevitable.
Bay Area's Transbay Dilemma: Second BART Tube or Second Bay Bridge?
In December, Sen. Dianne Feinstein reactivated her call for a southern crossing over the Bay while the BART Board last week began studying a second Transbay tube. The San Francisco Chronicle editorial board opines on which is preferable.
Is CEQA the Main Impediment to Housing Construction in California?
According to a new study by UC Berkeley and Columbia University, local land use processes, specifically the approval process, rather than the California Environmental Quality Act, is the main impediment to housing production in California.
San Francisco's Outer Neighborhoods Fear Change from Housing Bill
Legislation from a former supervisor could transform much of San Francisco, particularly the outer-neighborhoods, by increasing heights and density along transit corridors. Opposition is growing.
Nation's Most Important Rail Project Downrated by the FTA
Amtrak's Gateway Program to replace a century-old rail tunnel and bridge from New Jersey to Manhattan, both bottlenecks on the busy Northeast Corridor, did not score well on an evaluation by the Federal Transit Administration for grant funding.
Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Reenacted
Unlike Trump's suggested quarter-per-gallon gas tax, this 9-cents-per-barrel tax is real. Like the gas tax, it goes to a trust fund, to respond to oil spills rather than build and maintains roads. While small, it brings in $500 million annually.
Sacramento Streetcar Faces Uncertain Future Due to Trump Budget
The president's Fiscal Year 2019 Budget cuts the critical Capital investment Grants program run by the Federal Transit Administration. Projects lacking a full-funding grant agreement, like the Sacramento Streetcar, may fall victim.
Trump's 25-Cent Infrastructure Tax?
During a closed-door meeting Wednesday with Democratic and Republican lawmakers, President Trump endorsed hiking the gas tax by 25-cents per gallon to help pay for the $200 billion investment and restore solvency to the Highway Trust Fund.
Abandoned Olympic Venues Cast Doubt on the Value of Hosting
Though cities hope for an economic boost, these photos show it's far from guaranteed.
Massive Surveillance Expansion Would Focus on Nightlife in New Orleans
The city of New Orleans wants to watch you party.
Praise for the Trump Infrastructure Plan
While there has been no lack of criticism (some might say condemnation) of the $200 billion investment that aims to generate an additional $1.3 trillion, some individuals and groups have stepped forward to praise the plan, or at least parts of it.
The Dismal State of Water Infrastructure in Rural Kentucky
In a region where the utility is on the "brink of financial collapse," residents face outages, boil-water advisories and bills that come with health warnings.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
