Government / Politics

Detroit Ballot Measure Puts Regional Transit in Reach
Involving four counties and $4.6 billion, the measure proposes a system that could put a million residents (and a million jobs) within a quarter mile of transit.
Study: Local Roads in California 'At Risk' Due to Lack of Funding
A coalition of local governmental agencies and advocates released their 2016 report on the condition of local streets and roads in California, and they found dire underinvestment. The legislature has yet to convene a special session on funding.

Behind the Popularity of Transportation Tax Increases
Transportation ballot measures are popular this November: over 70 populate ballots across the country. In California and elsewhere, they supplement declining federal and state funds for local infrastructure.

In the U.S., Climate Politics Trump the Pope's Message
The encyclical "Laudato si: On the Care of Our Common Home" might have scored public relations points among environmentalists last year, but according to a new study, it didn't score any points with Catholics or the broader U.S. population.

Baltimore's New Zoning Code Almost a Done Deal
The Baltimore City Council granted initial approval for the city's first zoning code overhaul in over 40 years.

DART Board Splits with Dallas Council on Subway Priority
The DART Board decided to move forward with a financial plan that funds both the Cotton Belt light rail line and the D2 subway.

The Critical Role of Down-Ballot Races in State Transportation Funding
The overwhelming majority of states that increased gas taxes last year were Republican-controlled. In states where the legislature is split, it's more difficult to approve transportation funding legislation. Down-ballot races may prove decisive.

Are States Too Active or Not Active Enough? Yes.
State governments like to limit local taxing authority but not local zoning—maybe they should do the exact opposite.

Surprisingly Few People Make a Lot of Airport Noise Complaints
A new study has found that just a handful of people are responsible for the majority of noise complaints directed toward airports.

'The World's Urban Planner': UN-Habitat's Joan Clos
The phrase "everything on the street" captures UN-Habitat head Joan Clos's approach to urbanization. In the wake of Habitat III, who is the man behind the conference's "New Urban Agenda"?
A Transportation Benefit District That Also Benefits the Police Department
The city of Woodland, Washington, offers a case study in government funding. Voters there will consider a sales tax as part of its transportation benefit district, but the benefit could extend to the police department as well.

Good Political News for California High-Speed Rail
One of the major critics of the $64 billion project that would link Los Angeles and San Francisco just became a supporter, and that's really good news considering the project's major booster, Gov. Jerry Brown, will be leaving office in two years.

Los Angeles Hires New 'Homelessness Coordinator'
The new position will keep the city on track in its comprehensive strategy to aid the nearly 40,000 homeless people in Los Angeles.
Measuring Up to HUD's New Fair Housing Rules
After beefing up the 1968 Fair Housing Act, the feds are guiding cities to compliance.

Getting it Right on U.S Energy Independence
During the second presidential debate Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton claimed that the "U.S. was energy independent." Some in the media, including Politifact, were quick to report that claim as "false." And the news just got worse.
The Most Important Environmental Measure on the Ballot Next Month
If climate change is among the world's most pressing environmental issues, then Initiative 732 in Washington state should be watched by all concerned with the future of the planet. PBS NewsHour explores why the initiative is so controversial.

Cities See the Light at the End of the Fiscal Tunnel
The "City Fiscal Conditions 2016" report by the National League of Cities is willing to allow new levels of optimism.

Historic Missouri-Illinois Bridge Completes Rehabilitation Funded by Recovery Act
Remember President Obama's 2009 economic stimulus program? Add another completed project to the program's successes: the restoration of the multi-modal 1874 iconic Eads Bridge connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis, Ill. over the Mississippi River.

Pittsburgh Devotes New Department to Transportation Planning
The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will be up and running by 2017.

Gov. Jerry Brown Condemns State School Bond Measure for Promoting Sprawl
Ten newspapers have joined California Gov. Jerry Brown in opposing Proposition 51, a $9 billion bond ballot measure endorsed by both Democrats, including the lieutenant governor, and Republicans.
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Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont