Government / Politics

Ultimate Tech Guide to Boston

Whether you're a lifelong resident of Boston, just moving there, or simply passing through, this guide has 18 apps and services for navigating and enjoying the city life to its fullest.

November 9, 2015 - Netted

Red and Blue States

Where the Candidates Live

Some presidential candidates favor sprawl, but a surprising number live in cities or inner-ring suburbs.

November 9, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

Feds Award nearly $28 Million for Washington to Baltimore Maglev Project

The 105-year old Hudson River Rail Tunnels may desperately need replacement, but the Federal Railroad Administration also has an eye on the future, awarding $27.8 million to prepare a maglev application between Washington and Baltimore.

November 9, 2015 - The Washington Post

Mixed Election Results in Utah on Transportation Sales Tax Proposition

Prop. 1, a quarter-cent sales tax that would benefit public transit in Wasatch Range counties, passed in 10 counties but was defeated in seven, including the populous Salt Lake County where supporters have yet to concede due to the narrow loss.

November 8, 2015 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Empty Lot

Memphis Tells Residents: If You Mow It You Can Own It

Residents who put in the effort of maintaining vacant property will have their hard work rewarded and will be offered the opportunity to purchase the property.

November 7, 2015 - Route Fifty

Making Plans Deliver on Promises in the San Fernando Valley

The Warner Center 2035 Plan was designed to bring growth to Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley. If the opening of a $350-million Westfield Village in September is any indication, it’s succeeding.

November 7, 2015 - The Planning Report

Breaking News: End of the Line for Keystone XL Pipeline

After TransCanada hit the "pause button," President Obama hit "reject." The seven-year saga has come to an end, announced President Obama in a noon White House statement to the press on Friday where he took no questions.

November 6, 2015 - The White House

Seattle Moves in a Big Way on Election Day

Prop. 1, a $930 million, nine-year transportation levy backed by Mayor Ed Murray, was approved by 54 percent of Seattle voters on Nov. 3 to the delight of bus, bike, pedestrian and good roads advocates. First order of business: Safe Routes to School.

November 6, 2015 - The Seattle Times

House Passes Six-Year Transportation Reauthorization Bill

The House of Representatives plowed through about 270 amendments this week, with floor votes on nearly 130 of them, before passing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform Act of 2015 (STRR Act) with funding for three years.

November 6, 2015 - The Hill

More Diversity Needed in Bike Planning Processes

Left behind in business-as-usual city planning processes: low income and racial minority residents who rely on biking for transportation.

November 5, 2015 - Next City

A New 'Federalist Roadmap' to Let Cities Lead the Nation

Bruce Katz has an idea: "A year out from next year’s presidential election, let’s dispel the pervasive myth that the federal government runs the country."

November 5, 2015 - Brookings

Advice for Newly Elected Officials About Vacant and Abandoned Properties

A few words to live by for elected officials in communities working to transform vacant and abandoned properties into valued, productive uses.

November 5, 2015 - Center for Community Progress

Double Trucks

House Rejects Amendment Allowing Heavier Trucks

One of the nearly 270 amendments the House is considering in the $325 billion transportation reauthorization bill would allow individual states to allow heavier trucks to use highways. It was decisively defeated in a floor vote on Tuesday.

November 5, 2015 - The Hill

San Francisco Election Results: Airbnb Regulations, Mission Moratorium, Housing Bond

San Francisco voters rejected a moratorium on market rate housing in The Mission (Prop. I) and tighter restrictions on Airbnb (Prop. F), while approving the city's largest-ever housing bond (Prop. H) and a large mixed-use development.

November 4, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

Vote

Election Roundup: Results for Planning, Land Use, Transportation Measures

Early results on yesterday's election are in from around the country, where cities as diverse as Houston and San Francisco and states as varied as Ohio and Maine decided on issues related to planning, land use, and transportation.

November 4, 2015 - Planetizen

TransCanada Hits the 'Pause Button' on Keystone XL Application

TransCanada, developer of the controversial 1,179-mile pipeline that would transport crude derived from oils sands in Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska, asked the State Department to hold-off processing its application for the seven-year-old project.

November 4, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

The New Speaker's First Test: The Transportation Reauthorization Bill

Congress began work this week on a 6-year transportation bill, the first since SAFETEA-LU expired in 2009. Overseeing the process of adding amendments to the bill will be new House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in his first significant test of leadership.

November 4, 2015 - Roll Call

Lombard Street San Francisco

Housing and Tech Industry Showdown on the San Francisco Ballot

In tomorrow's citywide election, San Francisco voters are faced with a suite of ballot propositions essentially offering a referendum on hot button issues like gentrification, neighborhood character, and supply vs. demand.

November 2, 2015 - The New York Times

Regional Planning Merger One Step Closer to Reality in the Bay Area

The Bay Area is one of the few metro regions in the U.S. with a separate MPO and COG, but that could change after voting members of both the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments agreed to a merger study.

November 2, 2015 - Contra Costa Times

City Hall Philadelphia

Voters in Philadelphia May Birth a New Planning Department

This week, voters in Philadelphia will decide on a ballot measure that could realign city government to create a new Department of Planning and Development.

November 2, 2015 - PlanPhilly

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.