Government / Politics
Oregon Legislature Passes Gas Tax, Includes Bike Tax
After Gov. Kate Brown signs the comprehensive funding package, Oregon will be the eighth state this year to approve legislation to increase its gas tax and the first ever to add a bike tax to fund bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
Denver Could Create a New Transportation Department
Hoping to give more of a focus and priority to the issues of transportation, the mayor of Denver is proposing a reorganization of city departments.
Looking for Answers on Trump's Ties to Subsidized Housing
Two congressional Democrats, aided by press investigations, are connecting the dots between President Trump's real estate holdings and the Trump Administration's proposed budget.
Mounting Evidence of the Houston Housing Authority's Poor Performance
Both the local newspaper and the controller's office have found evidence that the Houston Housing Authority fails to deliver projects that match the amount of funding it receives.
Southeast Michigan's RTA Could Trim its Footprint to Build Support for Transit Funding
One way to get a transit funding tax plan approved is just to cut outlying areas out of transit taxes, and transit planning, entirely.
Second Attempt at Renewal for California's Clean Air Vehicle Decal Program
New legislation would continue the Clean Air Vehicle program after Jan. 1, 2019 to allow zero and near-zero emission vehicles to continue to qualify for carpool lane stickers in the Golden State.
Fuel Cell Vehicles Get Surprising Boost from Uncle Sam
The petroleum industry-friendly Trump Administration has awarded $15.8 million to 30 projects that are intended to substantially reduce oil consumption from passenger vehicles.
Interior Secretary Issues Order to Expedite Drilling on Public Lands
Secretary Zinke's order is part of the "energy dominance" agenda of the Trump Administration to make the U.S. a major energy exporter. The order will reduce the time needed by the Bureau of Land Management to process permitting for new wells.
Should Rich Non-Profits Pay Property Tax?
Illinois' debt is teetering on the brink junk status and, while it's struggling, rich non-profits like Northwestern University continue to buy up expensive land while paying no property taxes.
The New Enemy of the Alt-Right: Modern Architecture
Are the iconic symbols of modern architecture a new front line in the new era of culture wars?
Survey: What's the Biggest Risk Facing Cities
Politico Magazine put out a big question to "mayors, urbanists and other thinkers": what are the biggest threats that American cities currently face?
The Three Factions of Contemporary Planning and Urbanism
This post is sure to inspire debate. The hope, however, is that it will inspire coordination.
Oregon's $3 Billion Transportation Funding Legislation Has a Tax for Almost Everyone
The package, which doesn't tax walking and running shoes, went to the legislature on June 30. It includes a ten cents per gallon gas tax, a 0.10 percent payroll tax, a $15 tax on new bikes costing at least $200, and a potential toll on I–205.
Appeals Court Rebuffs Trump's EPA on Methane Emissions Suspension
In a win for the environment, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt could not arbitrarily suspend the starting date of a landmark Obama rule that would reduce methane emissions from new and modified oil and gas wells.
FHWA Greenlights More Red Lanes for Buses in San Francisco
The Federal Highway Administration approved 50 applications of red transit-only lanes to be painted throughout San Francisco. Already used on four streets in a pilot program, the lanes have proven effective but are opposed by some business owners.
One Developer's Idea for Regional Housing Solutions in Southern California
New housing development is off to a slow start in Los Angeles in 2017. Although the city defeated an anti-growth ballot measure, LA is still faced with a number of policy and legal challenges to building an adequate supply of affordable housing.
U.S. Conference of Mayors Sets Target for 100 Percent Renewable Energy
The Annual Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors wrapped up in Miami Beach earlier this week, culminating with a display of climate change solidarity.
Planning's New Rivalry: Housing Advocates vs. Radical Left
As the YIMBY movement has gained momentum in high-cost cities, advocates for social justice and subsidized housing have taken aim, claiming that YIMBY's pro-development stance aligns them with predatory capitalism and neoliberalism.
L.A. Metro CEO Challenges Trump on Infrastructure Funding
President Trump’s most recent transportation budget is projected to cut transportation spending by 13 percent, potentially undercutting many of Los Angeles' ambitious projects to continue the build-out of a full public transportation system.
West Virginia Becomes the Seventh State to Hike Gas Taxes, But Not by Much
Democratic Gov. Jim Justice signed legislation to increase its 32.2 cent state gas tax by about 3.5 cents per gallon and add substantial hybrid and EV fees. He also signed legislation to increase and expand road and bridge tolling.
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
