Government / Politics

Minneapolis Grapples with Food Truck Regulations
Downtown property owners are clashing with food truck operators over where the latter should park their businesses.

What's Keeping the U.S. Behind China on Infrastructure Investment?
The problem, Paul Rosenstiel writes, isn't a scarcity of capital. It's an unwillingness to make investing in infrastructure a lucrative choice for private capital.

Crowdsourcing Clean Drinking Water, Interview with Sean Montgomery
An Interview with Sean Montgomery, the inventor of CitizenSpring, an app that collects and maps data about safe drinking water.

Change Coming to the Way New York City Collects its Trash
The de Blasio Administration has recommended that the city of New York is ready to collect its trash in a new way, with a system known as franchising.

Massachusetts to Raise Money for Taxis from Levy on Uber and Lyft
A new levy on transportation networking companies in Massachusetts will raise funds to help level the playing field for taxi businesses.
Communities of Faith Backing Indianapolis Transit Funding Referendum
Transit investments in Marion County, Indiana, could be funded through a proposed increase of income taxes. The proposed funding referendum has the backing, and the phone-banking, of a coalition of local church congregations.
As Affordability Worsens, State and Local Governments Act on their Own
New data points to the continued worsening of rental housing affordability. Due to a lack of federal response, some state and municipal governments are taking matters into their own hands in an attempt to add to their supply of affordable housing.

New Rules to Make Heavy Trucks Cleaner and More Fuel Efficient
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation jointly issued final standards on Aug. 16 to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy for heavy duty trucks which currently average about six miles per gallon.

Big Payoff for Transit from California Cap-and-Trade Program
The future of cap-and-trade in California may be uncertain, but the $391 million allocated Tuesday from the program for greenhouse gas-reducing transit capital projects is real. A plan to release $1.2 billion of carbon revenue has been introduced.

Trump Gets China Advice From Slow-Growther
In yet another surprising twist to the candidacy of Donald Trump, one of his economic advisors happens not only to take a dim view of China but also a dim view of urban growth.

New Jersey Gas Tax Standoff Leaves Construction Workers in the Lurch
The plight of laid-off laborers who had been repaving a New Jersey bridge illustrates that people suffer as well as infrastructure and mobility when transportation funding bills fail to pass.

Last Chance to Comment on U.S. DOT's New Performance Measurement Rule
So far the reviews have not been kind to the proposed changes to the U.S. Department of Transportation performance measurement rule. The public comment for the proposed rule closes August 20.

New Report Guides Local Regulation of Drones
The National League of Cities is preparing for a future where cities will need to regulate the use of airspace by commercial drones.

Legislation Will Increase Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate in California
With comprehensive legislation to enable California to continue its powerful agenda of tackling climate change in peril, a Southern California assemblywoman will introduce legislation to tackle the specific issue of sales of electric vehicles.

Does Place Matter Anymore? Cities and the 2016 Election
Cities have appeared to figure very little into the presidential election up to now. To get a sense of whether this impression is accurate, I spent some time looking at the two party platforms, and the two candidate's websites.

Former Vancouver Mayor: Development Politics Equals 'Generational Warfare'
Former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan put out a call to action, so to speak, in the hopes of energizing younger Canadians to respond to the entrenched interests of older generations.

Federal Agencies to Consider Climate Impacts
A new policy from the Obama Administration asks government to calculate, and attempt to lower, their carbon emissions.

Gov. Baker Looks Toward California and Oregon While Vetoing Mileage Fee Pilot Program
A bill to provide $750 million in road and bridge financing was signed by Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday after stripping a provision to apply for a federal grant to conduct a pilot program similar to the California Road Charge Pilot.
One Major Similarity in the Trump and Clinton Infrastructure Plans
Donald Trump's first major economic speech showed significant changes, including how he'd pay for his hefty infrastructure plan. Both he and Hillary Clinton will likely be relying on the same funding source.

Going For the Gold: When Town Planning Was an Olympic Competition
In the first half of the 20th century, the Olympic games actually had a medal competition for town planning.
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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