Government / Politics
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.
The Country's First Municipal Cryptocurrency Could Fund Affordable Housing
The city of Berkeley is exploring the sale of digital tokens—backed by municipal bonds—as a fundraising mechanism for affordable housing and other local priorities.
Critics Blast Trump's Infrastructure Plan
Opposition mobilized quickly after the Trump Administration released its long-awaited infrastructure plan. There's even a hashtag.
Missouri Governor: Don't Show Me a Gas Tax Hike!
It is an understatement that Increasing fuel taxes is challenging. If there is an opportune time to do it, it's when gas prices are relatively low, when the state decides to cut other taxes, and when there's bipartisan support.
Pop Culture Hasn't Been Kind to Planning Lately
A post for the Market Urbanism website says planning is entering Season Three with no guarantees it will catch on with audiences.
Infrastructure, Unlike the Trump Administration, Can't Ignore Climate Change
How can President Trump, who has made environmental regulation rollbacks and climate denial trademarks of his administration, be expected to select projects for his infrastructure plan that must weather climate change?
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
