Government / Politics
Ballot Initiative Launched After Gov. Jay Inslee Withdraws Carbon Tax Bill
Environmental, labor, and community groups in Washington State filed an initiative for placement of a carbon fee on the November ballot. Unlike a similar measure in 2016, revenues would be used to mitigate emissions.
California Bill Sets Its Sights on Lower Speed Limits
A proposed bill in the California State Assembly would make it easier for local jurisdictions to set lower speed limits, sidestepping the controversial 85th percentile rule.
More Reports of Trouble at the Top of HUD
Another in a string of detailed exposés on the working conditions and policy agenda of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under the leadership of Secretary Ben Carson.
Austin Proposes Using Blockchain Technology to Help Its Homeless
The city wants to give its 7,000 citizens without permanent homes "[u]nique digital identifiers" to help them get reliable access to services.
Trump Attempts to Deny Funding for Hudson River Rail Tunnel Project
President Trump is going out of his way to ensure that the Hudson River Tunnel and other projects in the Amtrak Gateway Program don't receive federal funding in the next omnibus spending bill Congress must approve by March 23 to avoid a shutdown.
California Housing Battles Pit Older Liberals Against Younger Progressives
It's the old left, many home-owning seniors, against the younger left, many renter millennials when it comes to housing, according to an NBC report that looks at the local political dynamics underpinning the expensive California housing market.
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.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
