Government / Politics
Buses Win Big in Kalamazoo Millage Tax Measure
Residents in the Kalamazoo, MI area voted on Tuesday to maintain and expand bus service by passing a 0.75-mill tax. They can expect more frequent and late night service to be provided by the new Central County Transportation Authority.
New Rule Will Require Local Governments to Account for Property Tax Breaks
An organization tasked with oversight of the accounting methods of government agencies will require local governments to report the value of property, sales, and income tax breaks.
Somerville Reaches for Carbon Neutrality by 2050
The city has launched a program of collaboration with the green tech industry.
Meet the Woman Guiding California to 100% Electric Vehicles by 2030
One of the most influential environmental regulators may be someone you never heard of. She is Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board—twice over. She is pushing automakers to exceed the current 2025 goal for electric vehicles.
What's the Matter With the Planning Process?
Current planning models places housing affordability and preservation fundamentally at odds with one another. We must be willing to re-evaluate our processes if we are to truly move forward.
Innovating the Planning Process Through Community-Centered Design
Sean O'Malley and Andrew Watkins, of the landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm SWA, describe the benefits of a design process that empowers people and communities to participate.
President Obama's Clean Power Plan Is Nation's Strongest Climate Initiative
Just over a year ago President Obama's draft Clean Power Plan was unveiled. That proposal has been finalized and the president promoted it at a press event on Monday. The final rule is both stronger and more lenient that the original proposal.
A Really, Really Big Fuel Cell Vehicle Possibly Coming to the Bay Area
This vehicle would be larger than a Hummer, a bus, and even an 18-wheeler. Then again, it would not travel on land. The proposal goes by an appropriate acronym: SF-BREEZE. Think fresh air over the bay.
A Decade of Walkable Strides in Transit Innovation
A new Transit Center report shows what it takes to enact change.
President Obama Signs Three-Month Transportation Funding Bill
The Senate was hard at work on Thursday, passing not one but two transportation funding bills—first its controversial six-year (funded for three) transportation reauthorization bill, the DRIVE Act, and then, most importantly, the patch bill.
Op-Ed: Transit-Oriented Gentrification Should Be Taxed
This piece from the Vancouver Sun advocates using land value capture taxes to fund transit and related improvements. Such a tax would target speculation, the author writes, rather than productive activity.
Blog Series Explores the 'Heart of the Arctic'
Hazel Borys chronicles an Arctic expedition adventure, rife with environmental insights. If you ever wondered what it felt like in the olden days to receive dispatches from explorers off in distant mysterious lands, maybe it felt something like this.
City Life in the Republic of NGOs
Haiti's weak government and heavy foreign aid presence has led some to refer to it as the "Republic of NGOs." Satellite explored how this dynamic plays out in the small city of Fort-Liberté, which has been shaken by recent protests over electricity.
Severe Underfunding Hurts Denver Bike Plan
According to an audit, the Denver Moves plan hasn't lived up to its goals, mainly because of a poor showing in the city's budget since implementation in 2011.
The Political Semantics of Housing Segregation
Two authors agree that housing policies in the War on Poverty have failed. Are those policies too progressive, or not progressive enough?
The Importance of Geographic Literacy
Maps are still an important tool in teaching kids to be global citizens.
Washington State to Increase Gas Tax by Seven Cents on Saturday
The phased, two-year, 11.9-cent gas tax increase is the largest since Pennsylvania's gas tax increase passed in Nov. 2013. On July 1, 2016, fuel taxes will be raised 4.9 cents. Taxes will fund a $16.1 billion package of transportation improvements.
The 'Disparate Impact' of Funding Schools with Property Taxes
Laura Bliss argues that implicit discrimination in the boundary-shaping policies of school districts necessitates reform of the property-tax funding system.
Congressional Republicans Agree to Three-Month Transportation Funding Patch
Overcoming their differences, Republican leaders in both chambers agreed Wednesday to a three-month patch bill to continue transportation spending through Oct. 29. The bill must pass by Friday due to lack of funds in the Highway Trust Fund.
A Call for Regional Transit in Southeast Wisconsin
An op-ed argues that regional transportation oversight enable the region surrounding Milwaukee to better attract new business.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
