Government / Politics

Following in the footsteps of Seattle, which recently followed a similar narrative arc, the city of Spokane will go back to the ballot for transportation funding, leaving the county of Spokane to its own devices.

January 25, 2016 - The Spokesman-Review

In his 2015 state of the state address, Gov. Jerry Brown announced his intention to tackle the Golden State's formidable $59 billion road and bridge deficit. A year later, that staggering figure jumped 30 percent to $77 billion.

January 24, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Until this past summer, the Atlanta metro region was ranked second in electric car use in the United States. The generous state tax credit of $5,000 made electric vehicles (EVs) particularly attractive. But what happens when the credit is withdrawn?

January 24, 2016 - Marketplace

These days, Big Data is the topic at hand, but Arup's Vincent Lee says data analysis can only go so far. He uses his work on the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program to illustrate why a "human element" is crucial to finding solutions.

January 22, 2016 - Doggerel

Reporting from the world's most polluted capital, Julie McCarthy speaks with Ari Shapiro on NPR's "All Things Considered." McCarthy talks glowingly about how successful the two-week trial went in reducing pollution and congestion even more so.

January 22, 2016 - NPR

A raft of recent research finds that small, local businesses are critical to overcoming many of our biggest challenges. This article rounds up the new studies and what they say about why local business should be a focus of planning in 2016.

January 22, 2016 - Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Despite continued dispute over their effectiveness, carbon taxes and cap-and-trade programs in the United States and Canada have raised billions of dollars. And China has now followed suit.

January 21, 2016 - New York Times

Sacramento Bee's political columnist, Dan Walters, writes that NIMBYs are among the main reasons for the state's chronic housing crisis, and one of their main tools is the California Environmental Quality Act, which must be reformed by politicians.

January 20, 2016 - The Sacramento Bee

At the UN’s Habitat III conference taking place this fall in Quito, Ecuador, the role of cities in addressing the movement of migrants will be a primary topic of discussion.

January 19, 2016 - Citiscope

A Dallas area writer finds parallels between the city’s planning processes and the New Years’ resolution practices of most human beings.

January 18, 2016 - D Magazine

Following-up on the president's assertion in his State of the Union address to better manage coal and oil resources on federal lands to account for environmental and financial costs, the administration declared a 'pause' on issuing new coal leases.

January 18, 2016 - US News & World Report

Similar to a local proposal by San Francisco cyclists to reduce priority for for ticketing cyclists for rolling through stop signs, a state senator hopes to do with state legislation for motorists making "California Stops" at red lights.

January 17, 2016 - San Mateo Daily Journal

The Oregon State Senate is considering a bill that would lift a 17-year-old ban on inclusionary zoning.

January 16, 2016 - The Oregonian

The U.S.Treasury Department will begin identifying and tracking secret buyers of high-end luxury real estate in Manhattan and Miami Dade County because of concerns about the illicit flow of money.

January 15, 2016 - The New York Times

President Obama's final State of the Union made no mention of the FAST Act—the first long term transportation reauthorization since SAFETEA-LU, which expired in 2009. It's omission baffled many high ranking leaders.

January 15, 2016 - Politico Morning Transportation

With the historic climate agreement reached in Paris at COP21, what implications will it have on the architecture, engineering and design industries? Doggerel spoke to U.S. Green Building Council Chair-elect Fiona Cousins for her perspective.

January 15, 2016 - Doggerel

Something is missing from a lot of the walkable downtown business zones in cities around Colorado: tobacco smoke.

January 14, 2016 - The Denver Post

SoHo, a Manhattan neighborhood full of luxury apartments and a median income of $111,000/year, must accept a new facility that includes a garage for sanitation trucks. Why, and how will it test the city's commitment to infrastructure design?

January 14, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

A case is made that Gov. Rick Snyder's handling of the lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan is analogous to former President George W. Bush's bungling of the crisis resulting after Hurricane Katrina touched-down on the Gulf coast in August 2005.

January 14, 2016 - MSNBC

Though the governor's office remains staunchly opposed to new taxes, the Wisconsin State Legislature is searching for politically viable ways to fund transportation infrastructure improvements at the local level.

January 12, 2016 - Urban Milwaukee