Government / Politics
The State of Affordable Housing
An in-depth feature in Architect magazine surveys the affordable housing landscape and finds architects, planners, and developers trying to find a better way through an inefficient system.
Prop. 13 Will Blunt the Property Tax Windfall as Boomers Transfer Property to Millennials
The benefits of Prop 13's limit on property taxes will pass from generation to generation in California, at the expense of state and local coffers.
Business Owners Vote to Fund Sacramento Streetcar Operations
The two-thirds threshold proved to be no obstacle for Sacramento streetcar proponents in a special election held June 21, when at least *250 businesses owners voted to tax themselves to fund operations of the proposed streetcar.
Will Alaska Return Millions of Dollars for Bike and Pedestrian Projects to the Feds, Again?
Last year, Alaska returned $2.6 million of its 2013 Transportation Alternatives Program funding to the U.S. Department of Transportation due to a shortage of eligible projects to fund, despite having four years to obligate the grant money.
A Concerning Lack of Tribal Participation in Tacoma Tidelands Planning
The editors of the Tacoma Weekly speculate that someday governments might uphold their agreements. They don't expect the Tacoma Tideland sub area plan to be one of those times.
Overcoming Density Opponents by Listening to Them
Urbanist Brent Toderian does not begrudge NIMBYs; he values them. In an interview with David Roberts of Vox, he explains that the problem doesn't lie with development opponents as much as it does with the decision-makers.
Detroit Approves $34.5 million to Bring Pistons Downtown
The latest city to open up its coffers to support a professional sports team is Detroit, which will spend $34.5 million to support the Detroit Pistons in a move to the recently completed Little Caesars Arena.
Seeking a Voice for Suburban Transit Interests in Dallas
An advocate for the Cotton Belt line to connect Dallas with suburbs to the north is tired of the project taking a backseat to the transit interests of the urban core.
Opponents of Rent Control Claim Victory in Special Election in Bay Area
Voters in Santa Rosa, California rejected a measure that would have retained the rent and eviction control ordinance that the city council had approved lasted August. The referendum was placed on the ballot by the California Apartment Association.
Standing Sioux Tribe Wins Court Case on Dakota Access Pipeline
A federal judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to fully comply with NEPA in allowing the controversial pipeline to cross under the Missouri River. The judge did not order Energy Transfers Partners to cease operations of the pipeline.
Muscovites Revolt Against Relocation Plan
Plans to decommission existing public housing blocks and replace them with newer high-rises has angered middle-class residents in Moscow who fear the loss of their homes and investments.
New Wisconsin Road Funding Option: Let Truckers Pay
A mileage fee applicable only to heavy trucks is floated as a third option to close the road funding gap in Wisconsin. The other two options are hiking gas taxes, which is opposed by Gov. Scott Walker, or adding road tolls.
The Other Side of Anxiety? Realism. And Maybe Hope.
Ben Brown tells us to stop narrowly defining problems.
Odd Years are Good for Hiking State Gas Taxes
Already California, Indiana, Montana, South Carolina (overriding a governor's veto), Tennessee, and Utah* have raised gas taxes this year, while last year was a drought—only New Jersey increased its gas tax.
The Two Faces of Trump's Infrastructure Plan
The president spent Infrastructure Week touting a $1 trillion infrastructure investment plan that has yet to materialize, unlike the elimination of an essential grant program in his 2018 budget that will be detrimental to over 50 transit projects.
How State Governments Can Support Urban Revitalization
States have tremendous power to constrict or enable policy at the local level. A new report offer guidance in getting states and localities on the same page for the sake of urban revitalization.
Renewable Natural Gas and Electricity Should Power Los Angeles Bus Fleet
It's not one or the other but both, argues Denny Zane of Move LA in a guest commentary for the Los Angeles Daily News about the decision that Los Angeles County Metro will make on June 22 on the future of the nation's second largest bus fleet.
Voter Backlash Expected From Gas Tax Hike
There's a reason it can take decades to increase gas taxes — and many California legislators may soon found out why in November 2018, if not earlier. On November 1 of this year, state gas taxes will increase 12 cents per gallon.
The Silent Expansion of Fiscal Control Boards in the U.S.
The power and process of boards that take control of a city or territory's finances is becoming more generalized, although they affect local democracy, impose austerity measures without controls, and lack mechanisms to evaluate their efficiency.
Trump Ends Infrastructure Week by Streamlining the Permitting Process
President Trump made a compelling case for reducing the length of time needed to construct major infrastructure projects to justify the creation of a new White House council to streamline permitting. Only one problem: it already exists.
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.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
