Government / Politics
Are EPA's Fuel Efficiency Standards the Next Environmental Rollback?
Next on President Trump's environmental chopping block may be a rollback of fuel efficiency standards. Two auto associations have asked EPA Administer Scott Pruitt to review a decision made last month to retain a 54.5 mpg target.
Georgia City Decides One Approval is Enough for Some Variances
Grayson, Atlanta exemplifies the kind of administrative considerations that can make or break development approval processes.
Understanding the Varieties of NIMBYism
"To get beyond NIMBYism, we first must understand it," writes Richard Florida.
Trump Targets Obama's Signature Environmental Rule, the Clean Power Plan
The first environmental regulation to be rescinded under President Trump was the Stream Protection Rule. It will not be the last. The president has his eyes on a rule that limits greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants.
Bipartisan Support for New Market Tax Credits Emerges
Members of Congress are mobilizing to protect the popular New Market Tax Credit program, which has offered benefits in rural and urban environments.
Are Driverless Cars Good for Cities?
With experts predicting widespread autonomous vehicle (AV) adoption in the not-too-distant-future, many policymakers, designers, and ordinary citizens are left scratching their heads, uncertain of what to expect and how to prepare.
Cap-and-Trade Back on the Table in Oregon
A new report and hearings by the state's House and Senate environment committees has put a cap-and-trade policy to curb carbon emissions back in play in Salem.
A Legislative Challenge to Ballot-Box Planning in California
On March 7, Angelenos will vote on Measure S, which would enact a two-year moratorium on denser development. State legislation introduced on Feb. 16 would require a two-thirds vote for these types of slow growth ballot measures.
Trump's California Double Play: Potential Fatal Blow to Commuter and High-Speed Rail
In one of her first major decisions, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao deferred a decision on a critical $647 million federal grant to electrify the 51-mile San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain line, which would also be used by high-speed rail.
Climate Change Skeptic Confirmed to Head U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt on Friday afternoon as administrator of the EPA, the same agency he sued 14 times in his capacity as Oklahoma Attorney General. He could not be more different than his predecessor, Gina McCarthy.
Toronto Sidewalk Cafes Get Squeezed By Pedestrian 'Clearways'
Proposed rules to enforce wider paths on Toronto city sidewalks for pedestrians and the disabled is creating angst in local operators of sidewalk cafes.
Aspen Pushes to Ban New Chain Stores
The citizen-driven campaign has garnered support from City Council.
Los Angeles to Update Community Plans Every 6 Years
Los Angeles has approved new rules aimed at increasing accountability in the planning process—and at preempting a more severe approach promised by an upcoming ballot measure.
Remember Trump's Pledge to Save Coal Jobs?
The West's largest coal power plant and two Ohio coal plants will be closing, and the coal mines that supply them may shutter as well. The Arizona utility "is tired of overpaying for power," words that surely the president should understand.
North Dakota House Rejects Law Legalizing Vehicular Violence Against Protestors
The North Dakota House of Representatives rejected a law designed to make it easier for drivers to run over protestors.
Fake Cemeteries May Help Curb Sprawl in Spain
In order to stop new development in areas previously consumed by forest fires, Spanish firefighters are using a little known law that prohibits new building's within a 500 meter (0.3 miles) radius of a cemetery.
Caltrain Electrification: Casualty of Republican Animus for High-Speed Rail?
California's GOP congressional delegation has written the U.S. DOT asking them to delay a vital $647 million grant needed to electrify the 55-mile, San Francisco-to-San Jose commuter line on which 92 diesel-powered commuter trains operate daily.
Legislature Wants to Change How Utah Transit Authority Operates
A bill introduced in the Utah State Legislature would curtail the UTA's ability to partner in new transit oriented development projects.
St. Louis Debating and Reforming its Development Incentives
The city of St. Louis is in the midst of an intense political debate—with mayoral consequences—on the subject of development incentives, which critics say just help the rich get richer.
The End of Federal Environmental Protection in the United States?
The end of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may not come from the hands of President Trump or Scott Pruitt, the nominee to head the agency, but from a bill introduced Feb. 3 titled, "To terminate the Environmental Protection Agency."
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
