Government / Politics

Ciutat Vella

Airbnb Still at Odds with Barcelona City, Calling New Rule for Hosts a 'Joke'

After Barcelona City Council conducted inspections and imposed sanctions on illegal tourist rentals in the city, Airbnb responded by announcing restrictions on multiple listings in the downtown area. The city council responded bluntly.

February 10, 2017 - Cities of the Future

Dakota Access Pipeline

Army Corps to Grant Permit for Completion of Dakota Access Pipeline

Elections have consequences. Per a Jan. 24 executive memo, the Army Corps of Engineers indicated that it will grant Dakota Access LLC the final permit to tunnel under the Missouri River and complete the controversial pipeline.

February 9, 2017 - The Washington Post - Energy and Environment

Open Space

House Republicans: No More 'Planning 2.0' for Public Lands

The congressional battle over public lands is only just beginning. The latest action: the House voted to rescind the Bureau of Land Management's recently approved "Planning 2.0" rule.

February 9, 2017 - The Denver Post

Cafe sign

Another Sign Code Goes Down in Flames

The sign code for North Redington Beach, Florida has been found in violation of the First Amendment, following a dispute with a local café.

February 8, 2017 - Rocky Mountain Sign Law

National Monuments

Revoking a National Monument Not Easy, Even with Republican Congress

But that's no reason not to try, figures Republican Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, chair of the powerful House Natural Resources Committee, who has his sights on the Bears Ears National Monument, barely a month old.

February 8, 2017 - NPR

Climate Change Protest

Republican Coalition Proposes a Carbon Tax to Fight Climate Change

Will a carbon tax have a better chance of success at the federal level if Republicans propose it? We're about to find out.

February 8, 2017 - The New York Times

Women's March Los Angeles

Public Space Offering Surprising Lessons While Hosting Trump Protests

Christopher Hawthorne examines the unprecedented protests of the Women's March and the more recent airport protests for lessons in the understanding and appreciation of public space.

February 7, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Porter Ranch

Vouchers Can Work, But...

School vouchers might expand educational choice and thus make city life more appealing to middle-class families—but the most appealing versions of a voucher system are also the most costly.

February 7, 2017 - Michael Lewyn

Atlanta Braves Country

Georgia State Senate Pumps the Breaks on Cityhood Processes

Atlanta's quickly growing region means many communities are seeking to incorporate. Several controversial processes, however, have compelled the state to reform the incorporation process.

February 6, 2017 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Legislation to Toll Indiana Interstates and Hike Gas Tax Introduced

Tolls on interstate highways are being pushed in Indiana as a means to increase road funding, no easy task even if a waiver is given. The bill would also increase the gas tax and charge electric vehicle owners a fee for road maintenance.

February 6, 2017 - Governing

Oklahoma Gas Tax Hike Faces Multiple Hurdles

Oklahoma is among a number of Republican-controlled states considering gas tax legislation, particularly since it faces a budget gap of $900 million. Bills to hike the tax are expected to be proposed this month, but they face formidable challenges.

February 6, 2017 - StateImpact Oklahoma

Utah Public Lands

Federal Lands Transfer Bill Withdrawn

Facing backlash from hunting and angling groups, Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz withdrew legislation that would have transferred millions of acres of federal lands to state governments in the West. But news wasn't good for other environmental bills.

February 3, 2017 - The Washington Post

Trump Protests

Data Dispute Trump's Claims About Sanctuary Cities as Hotbeds of Crime

The "sanctuary cities" that President Trump has repeatedly characterized as incubators of crime are generally safer than other cities, according to a new analysis of FBI crime data.

February 3, 2017 - The Washington Post

Energy and Environmental Regulations Under Attack—by Congress

Two environmental regulations enacted by the Obama Administration are expected to be rescinded under the Congressional Review Act: the Stream Protection Rule that protects water from mountaintop coal mining and limits on flaring methane emissions.

February 2, 2017 - NPR

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao

Elaine Chao Confirmed as U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary

Elaine Chao, who served eight years as labor secretary under President George W. Bush, was confirmed on Jan. 31 as the Secretary of Transportation, on a 93-6 vote.

February 1, 2017 - USA Today

Kansas City Bridge

The Other $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

President Trump is not the only one proposing a huge infrastructure plan—Senate Democrats have their own. The cost is the same, but financing is different. The Democrats' plan does just what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned against.

January 31, 2017 - The Hill

Get Ready for a Wave of Federal Land Transfers in Western States

It's the antithesis of what former President Obama and his predecessors did when they gave federal lands and waters more protection. But don't blame Trump's executive actions for this one (not yet, anyway), as it's being proposed by Congress.

January 29, 2017 - The Guardian

Arch Rock Beach

Oregon Residents Could Soon Pay a Fee to Hit the Water

The state of Oregon will consider legislation that would raise $2.17 million a year by implementing a fee on non-motorized users of public waterways.

January 29, 2017 - Mail Tribune

Cap-and-Trade Foes Have Their Day in Court

The biggest threat to California's cap-and-trade program, a critical component of the state's comprehensive effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, may not come from the Trump Administration but from a lawsuit heard in Sacramento on January 24.

January 27, 2017 - Capital Public Radio

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Recalling Canada's Former, Climate Change-Denying Prime Minister

There are similarities between the policy actions of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government and the nascent Trump Administration. The differences in approach between these two examples are also telling.

January 27, 2017 - The Atlantic

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.

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

Senior Planner

Eagle County Government

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