Government / Politics

Philadelphia magazine says a staffing decision by new Mayor Jim Kenney is a big victory for urbanists and bike advocates.

February 2, 2016 - Philadelphia

A former EPA official makes the case in a New York Times op-ed that the ethanol mandate, a major issue in Monday's presidential caucus in Iowa, the nation's top corn producer, is implemented so poorly that it is not benefiting the environment.

February 2, 2016 - The New York Times - The Opinion Pages

Louisville, Kentucky has recently been named the "most rapidly growing urban heat island" in the U.S., but what led to this title? Jeff Byles traces how cities are becoming increasingly warm through a number of different factors, including economic.

February 1, 2016 - Doggerel

All eyes are on Iowa's caucuses today, but presidential campaigns will be touring communities all over the country for months. The APA wants planners to be ready to explain the importance of planning when such rare opportunities arise.

February 1, 2016 - APA Policy News

While blame squarely lays with Michigan state officials, agencies, and possibly Gov. Rick Snyder himself, the EPA also played a role by both detecting the cause of the problem but not acting on the reports of improper treatment of river water.

January 31, 2016 - Huffington Post

The California Road Charge Pilot will be the nation's second road usage charge program. Unlike OReGO, which launched last July, it is a pilot program that will last nine months, but like the Oregon program, it is restricted to 5,000 volunteers.

January 30, 2016 - Streetsblog California

Gov. Rick Snyder (R-Mich.) announced on Wednesday that the state is working to ensuring safe tap water for Flint residents. While there is no schedule to replace the corroded lead pipes, they are being treated to prevent further lead leaching.

January 30, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

A new book published by the Pew Research Center details the demographic changes that will shape the politics—beyond presidential elections—of the future.

January 29, 2016 - Pew Research Center

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is using a new ad against GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, based on his use of eminent domain against an elderly woman in Atlantic City. Trump strongly defended using the controversial tool.

January 29, 2016 - Vanity Fair

It makes sense that the transit agency serving the Silicon Valley would be one of the first to adopt a formal open data policy.

January 29, 2016 - Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

A local Democrat is not happy with the performance of the city in operating the Atlanta Streetcar.

January 28, 2016 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Heretofore, California's transportation funding woes have largely been restricted to future projects, expressed as "deferred road and bridge maintenance." That just changed—now current budgets face a $754 million cut over five years.

January 28, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

A new report issued by McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute provides new thinking about how to create "age-friendly cities."

January 28, 2016 - Grist

It's been said that children are the indicator species of urban health and great neighborhoods. By this measure, Oakland is in trouble.

January 27, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Penn IUR Faculty Fellows and Scholars weigh in on the 2016 Presidential election. What urban issues should the candidates be focusing on?

January 27, 2016 - PennIUR

Learning from the mishaps shown by state regulatory agencies in Michigan, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency wasted no time in beginning a criminal investigation resulting from reports of concentrations of high lead levels in some Ohio homes.

January 27, 2016 - WFMJ-TV

Strong Towns, the same organization that runs the #BlackFridayParking campaign every year, is back with another social media campaign meant to raise awareness about the effects of car dependence.

January 26, 2016 - Strong Towns

A heated political battle over funding for the Washington State Building Code Council shows how legislated mandates for energy efficiency must also fund regulators to back them up.

January 26, 2016 - Crosscut

An affordable housing ballot measure opposed by affordable housing advocates: welcome to the strange housing politics of San Francisco.

January 26, 2016 - San Francisco Magazine

The damage caused by Michigan environmental agencies charged with protecting public health extend far beyond Flint. Residents suffering health effects from a huge natural gas leak in Southern California see parallels with the lead poisoning crisis.

January 26, 2016 - The New York Times