Government / Politics

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.

Worldwide Response to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics: Skepticism
More than one media outlet praised Los Angeles' optimism for cutting a deal with the International Olympics Committee to host the 2028 Olympics.

Are Reports Predicting a Future of Electric Vehicles Exaggerated?
David Yager, an oil industry consultant, writes that recent reports predicting electric vehicles will eventually outsell those with internal combustion engines are vastly exaggerated, notwithstanding national bans on future sales of such cars.

Quebec Olympic Stadium Now a Shelter for Asylum Seekers from the U.S.
The government of Canada is scrambling to build a policy in response to growing numbers of asylum seekers crossing the border between the United States and Canada.

Department of Homeland Security Will Skip Environmental Review for the Border Wall
Also, the House of Representatives has approved the funding president trump wants for the wall, but the Senate is likely to balk.

Electrifying California: Volkswagen Settlement Approved
The biggest obstacle to the adoption of electric vehicles in California, a shortage of charging infrastructure, just became a lot more manageable thanks to $200 million from Volkswagen stemming the from the dieselgate settlement.

Is There Space for Planning in Trump's News Cycle?
An analysis of Planetizen traffic in the first six months of the Trump Administration reveals an audience still focused, despite so many distractions, on the future of communities.

San Joaquin Water Treatment Plant Still Not on Track
California's San Joaquin Valley has an opportunity to build a treatment facility to bring water from the Kings River to communities in Tulare County, but so far infighting among towns in the county has prevented work from starting on that plant.

Border Wall Plans Following the Path of Least Resistance
Planning of President Trump's proposed border wall is moving along very quietly, and quickly, at a federal wildlife refuge in Texas.
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Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie