Government / Politics
Massachusetts Could Be Next State to Adopt a Road Usage Charge
In the wake of voter rejection of automatic indexing of the state gas tax, Massachusetts legislators may do away with the tax altogether. They are considering a trial of the Oregon model of road usage charge.
Electric Vehicles: When Too Much of a Good Thing Is Bad
Environmental sustainability on a national level is proving to be financially unsustainable on a local level for an island community in Norway that is counting on $20 tolls, with an electrical vehicle exemption, to pay off a $70 million tunnel.
The Case for an Oil Severance Tax
After Big Oil killed the oil reduction mandate in climate legislation and with a critical transportation bill stalled by anti-tax Republicans, Los Angeles Times political columnist George Skelton opines that taxing oil extraction could pay for roads.
Cities Honored for Smart Growth
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 13th annual Smart Growth Achievement Awards recognize communities that lead the way in compact, walkable growth.
The problems of success in the new urban era
Cities face challenges associated with rising values, an influx of more educated residents, and gentrification. Here's what cities can do.
Texas Voters Will Again Be Asked to Divert Funds for Transportation
Refusing to raise the 20-cent gas tax, creative Texas legislators have devised another scheme to divert existing revenue streams to roads. Last year it was a portion of the Rainy Day Fund. This year, from general sales and motor vehicle sales taxes.
Marohn Debates O'Toole
Charles Marohn, known as a reformed traffic engineer that launched Strong Towns, recently debated Randall O'Toole, known as the anti-planner. Recommended for understanding the conflicts that arise on the right side of the political spectrum.
City Report: Mission Moratorium Backfires on its Goals
A new report from the San Francisco Office of Economic Analysis shows that Prop. 1, an 18-month moratorium on the development of market-rate housing in the Mission to appear on November's ballot, would not meet the housing goals it seeks to attain.
Alabama Bill Would Hike Gas and Diesel Taxes by a Nickel, and Then Some
A bill to increase both gas and diesel taxes by five cents in Alabama has passed its first committee on a voice vote and goes to the full House of Representatives on Thursday. The bill indexes both taxes using only two-cent increments.
How Social Impact Bonds Close the Funding Gap
The number of social impact bond programs in the United States has expanded quickly, to eight, with examples found in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Utah, and, now, California.
White House Smart Cities Initiative Uses Connected Vehicle Technology
Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx unveiled a $42 million transportation program in Manhattan that is part of President Obama's new $160 million Smart Cities Initiative. Funds will go to NYC, Tampa, and Wyoming to reduce congestion and crashes.
What's the Rush on the Highway Bill Reauthorization?
Surprise! A three-month transportation funding bill turns out to have funds for nine months! While unanticipated funds certainly sound like good news, it also takes immediate pressure off the House to working on a six-year reauthorization bill.
Walkability: It's About Experience
The Surgeon General's call to action, Step It Up, asks us all to get moving. And that to do that, to clear the hurdles to walkable, bikeable, rollable places. We knew that sitting is the new smoking, and now we have the full admonition to go with it.
San Francisco Housing Advocates: 'Sue the Suburbs'
Renters' advocates in San Francisco are building a political and fundraising base to legally challenge suburbs that aren't pulling their weight in constructing the housing to meet the demands of population growth.
Another Key Climate Bill Lost in California
On the heels of losing an oil reduction mandate due to lobbying by Big Oil, another key climate bill failed to pass—setting greenhouse gas reduction targets beyond 2020. An oil pipeline safety bill resulting from Santa Barbara spill passed.
Carbon-Saving Urban Development Makes Economic Sense
A new report stresses the importance of international cooperation on low-carbon development.
Los Angeles' Mobility Plan 2035 Slapped with Lawsuit
The group, Fix The City, sued the city on September 9 on its visionary plan that emphasizes transit, biking, and walking, claiming the traffic lane reductions will create more air pollution, imperil public safety, and add to traffic congestion.
California Transportation Funding Bill Stalls in Final Week
Gov. Jerry Brown's intervention to soffen Sen. Jim Beall's transportation funding bill by halving both the gas and diesel tax hikes did not assuage Republican critics of the bill, so Brown is extending the special legislative session past Friday.
California Won't Require 50 Percent Reduction In Oil Consumption After All
An ambitious energy-climate bill strongly backed by Gov. Jerry Brown was stripped of one of its three goals—to reduce oil consumption in half by 2030. The other two goals, increasing the renewable portfolio and increasing energy efficiency, remain.
Tech Shuttle Pilot Might Stick Around San Francisco
They're hated by many, blamed for the city's gentrification, but are an integral part of regional transportation, enabling tech employees to work on the Peninsula and South Bay while living in the city. A city-approved pilot may become permanent.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
