Government / Politics
Two Housing Bills Will Exacerbate California's Housing Shortage
SB 35 (Wiener) and AB 199 (Chu) make it more costly to build housing by requiring prevailing wages where applicable, pleasing construction unions but making affordable housing less affordable, opines CALmatters political columnist, Dan Walters.
Could Public Art on Utility Boxes Displace Communication?
There will be important functions in public space that are not always “art” whose value is not in proportion to their prettiness.
More Signs of Trouble for Trump's Infrastructure Plan
Streetsblog USA ponders whether President Trump's $1 trillion big-ticket legislative item was dead before arrival.
Is the Era of the 'Free' Freeway Coming to an End?
No one's suggesting that freeways will be converted to tollways, but a pattern is emerging that when freeways are widened, express lanes, financed in part by user fees, are being added rather than mixed-flow lanes. Case in point: the Inland Empire.
Lax Regulation of Texas Air Polluters
Regular "emissions events" at Texas heavy industrial facilities cause a lot of unauthorized pollution. But few consequences mean the companies responsible don't have to crack down.
One Way Washington Could Move Forward on Infrastructure
The WIFIA federal loans program provides start-up capital to local water infrastructure projects. The program is designed to encourage experimentation and cost-effective construction strategies.
Car Crash Reporting Guidelines Prepare for Self-Driving Vehicles
The Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria's latest edition has new instructions for reporting the emerging sector of autonomous vehicles.
County Gas Taxes at Work in Florida
The Jacksonville City Council's decision in 2014 to renew a six-cents county gas tax is paying big dividends for road construction in Duvall County, Florida. Every county in Florida has a gas tax from five cents to a maximum 11.9 cents per gallon.
Trump's Infrastructure Plan Slow to Materialize Despite New Executive Order, Flow Chart
The original purpose of President Trump's press conference were lost as the discussion devolved.
Charlottesville and the 'War Against Public Space'
A think-piece published by CityLab argues that public space, and the ideals it embodies, are under threat from the racist groups that gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend.
Six States Considered Laws to Make it Legal to Run Over Protestors This Year
A day of reckoning has come for state lawmakers who proposed protections for motorists who attack protestors from behind the wheels of their car. A tragedy at protests in Charlotte has cast new light on the dangerous potential of such laws.
California's Housing Bills Fall Short
Three bills at the top of the Democratic leadership's housing agenda will have little impact on the state's chronic housing shortage according to multiple analyses, and wouldn't affect the outcome of a Bay Area mega-development controversy.
Virginia's New 395 Express Lanes Guaranteed to Fund Public Transit
The $500 million, eight-mile extension, mostly paid by private funds and express lane tolls, broke ground August 9. Transurban, the private company in the public-private partnership, will pay $15 million annually for public transit improvements.
Late Buses Threaten Seattle Micro-Unit Development—Guess Why
An approved, 55 micro-unit, mixed-use development with no parking sited on a transit corridor with 15-minute headways has been halted by a legal ruling after neighborhood opponents proved the bus was not meeting its schedule.
'CarsonWatch': New Housing Justice Coalition Fights Trump Agenda
National organizations are mobilizing around housing as a human right.
Appeals Court Deals Second Setback to Trump Administration on Methane Regulation
Another unpleasant reminder for the Trump Administration that there are three equal branches of government: A federal appeals court ruled 9-2 that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt must enforce a rule to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas wells.
Hints of a North Texas Freeway Rebellion
At the helm of a movement to think beyond concrete solutions to transportation challenges in North Texas are the mayors of Fort Worth, Grapevine, and Arlington.
Good Side of the Downside: The End Is (Only) Near
Depressed by city planning in your neck of the woods? Ben Brown says to lower your expectations.
Impacts of AVs and E-Commerce on Municipal Budgets
A new report from Urbanism Next/SCI takes you through a city’s budget—both revenues and expenditures—and describes the areas that will be affected as AVs become commonplace and e-commerce takes on an even larger role in retail
San Francisco Creates 'Office of Cannabis'
A "one-stop shop" for marijuana businesses will open in time for the statewide legalization of the industry this January.
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
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
