Government / Politics

Los Angeles

Inclusionary Zoning Bill to Increase Affordable Rentals Passes California Assembly

Due to a 2009 court decision, cities and counties in California are prohibited from requiring that a percentage of units in rental developments be affordable. A bill by Assemblyman Richard Bloom would restore inclusionary zoning for rentals.

May 8, 2017 - Planetizen

New York Subway

Omnibus Spending Bill Will Save Transit Grant Programs—for Five Months*

Congress passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill to keep the government operating through September that also restores funding to transportation programs that the president had eliminated or greatly reduced. Trump signed the bill Friday.

May 8, 2017 - The Hill

California Big Sur

The New California Coastal Commission

The commission spent a significant part of last year in the spotlight. Now, its new director is moving ahead on climate adaptation and resilience efforts as a federal policy change looms.

May 8, 2017 - The Planning Report

Jane Jacobs

'Citizen Jane' Sets the Battle Lines for the Future of Cities

Coinciding with the 101st anniversary of Jane Jacobs's birth, a documentary film showing in select theaters around the country recounts the history between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses, and the ideas that forced their struggle.

May 4, 2017 - James Brasuell

Low Gas Prices

Trump Open to Hiking Gas Tax to Fund Infrastructure Package

Like so many of the president's assertions, the statement, made in a Bloomberg interview on Monday morning, could be open to interpretation, but he's gone where none of his predecessors since Bill Clinton on the issue of raising the gas tax.

May 3, 2017 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Oil Rig

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Reverse Obama's Coastal Drilling Ban

So much for that so-called "permanent" ban that President Obama enacted by President Obama in December to end oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean and off the central-northern Atlantic coast.

May 3, 2017 - The Washington Post

Denver Region

Death of a State Transportation Sales Tax Measure

Partisan politics killed what was labeled as a bipartisan effort to increase funding for Colorado's roads by allowing voters in November to determine whether to raise the state sales tax to fund a bond measure.

May 3, 2017 - The Denver Post

Pollution 2

Appeals Court Ruling Favors Trump—Strike Two Against Clean Power Plan

An appeals court on Friday granted the Trump Administration's request to suspend lawsuits on the Clean Power Plan, dealing a major blow against President Obama's signature climate initiative to reduce carbon emissions from existing plants.

May 2, 2017 - The Washington Post - Energy and Environment

Housing Construction

Op-Ed: Affordability Depends on Market-Rate Housing

California State Senator Scott Wiener argues that advocating for subsidized affordable housing isn't enough. Anyone concerned with ending the state's housing crisis needs to get behind market-rate development.

May 1, 2017 - Art + Marketing

A Community Benefits Proposal is Ignored. Is Displacement Far Behind?

A tent city occupation in Atlanta is among several recent actions in cities around the country. Residents fearing displacement at the hands of publicly supported private development are organizing, and running for office, against it.

April 29, 2017 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Seattle Waterfront Condos

Rent Control: Illegal in Seattle Since 1981

For a long time now, rent control hasn't been an option to control housing prices in Washington state. Whether rent control works is another question entirely.

April 28, 2017 - KUOW

National Monuments

Antiquities Act Executive Order Calls for Review of Large Designations

The Executive Order does not roll back the Antiquities Act nor rescind any designations made by presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, or Obama, but does call for their review if over 100,000 acres. President Trump feels that the act has been misused.

April 28, 2017 - The Washington Post

 Indiana State House of Representatives

Indiana Legislature Passes 10-Cents Fuel Tax Hike on Final Day of Session

Just past midnight on Saturday morning, the Indiana State Senate passed the transportation plan after the Housed approved it Friday. It also passed a $32 billion, two-year state budget bill, then adjourned for the year, one week ahead of schedule.

April 28, 2017 - Eagle Country

Presidio Park

The Environmental Trade-Off for Raising California's Fuel Taxes

Come November 1, gasoline and diesel taxes will increase by 12 and 20 cents per gallon, respectively, in California, providing badly needed revenue to repair roads, bridges, and improve transit, but truck pollution loophole will still foul the air.

April 27, 2017 - The Press-Enterprise

Boston Seaport

Op-Ed: Cities Still Subsidize Everyone Else

Donald Trump rode waves of anti-urban sentiment to the White House. But is some city smugness forgivable if urban economies subsidize rural places?

April 26, 2017 - The Boston Globe

Kayaking

Rhetoric Over Public Lands Heating Up in Washington, D.C.

As the Outdoor Industry Association gathered for its annual advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., the industry is marshaling its resources for an expected political battle with the Trump Administration.

April 26, 2017 - The Denver Post

Solar Installation

NYC Solar Power Capacity Surpasses 100 Megawatts

Citywide solar capacity quadruples under Mayor de Blasio, supporting more than 2,700 jobs. The City’s goal is installing 1 gigawatt of solar capacity citywide by 2030!

April 24, 2017 - Cities of the Future

Jane Jacobs

Reviews for 'Citizen Jane: Battle for the City'

Two publications likely to find an audience with people sympathetic to the cause of Jane Jacobs reviewed the latest film about her political battles with Robert Moses for the soul of New York.

April 24, 2017 - NPR

Air Quality

Air District Connects Climate Protection to Clean Air Plans

With the adoption of the "Spare the Air - Cool the Climate" program, the Bay Area's air quality regulatory agency has broadened its mission to make reduction of greenhouse gases a paramount goal, along with protecting public health.

April 24, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Trump and the New Urban Crisis

Richard Florida writes that Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton is a product of the backlash against what he calls The New Urban Crisis of burgeoning economic inequality—the widening divides between rich and poor.

April 24, 2017 - Penn IUR Urban Link

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.

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA

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