Government / Politics
Bills to Hike Michigan Gas Tax by 15 Cents Squeak Through State Senate
Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley broke a tie vote in the state Senate on July 1 to pass a 15-cent gas tax increase over three years to raise $1.5 billion. In May, voters rejected a sales tax increase that would have triggered a gas tax increase.
Global Cities Allying with Each Other, Not with Nations
With nation-states often wracked by internal political divides and often unable to cooperate with each other, cities have begun to forge their own international relationships. A new, urban approach to foreign policy is emerging.
Three City Builders Name Los Angeles' Key Assets and Flaws
Capturing the complexities and competing forces at play in major metro areas stumps many writers who face the challenge.
State Gas Tax Changes Effective July 1: Six Up; One Down
Carl Davis, Research Director of the Institute on Tax and Economic Policy (ITEP) writes where gas taxes used to fund transportation infrastructure increased, if only by decimal points, and about the aberration—the six-cent plunge in California.
Hold the Presses: Alaska Gas Tax Increases Today
Alaska's 11.30 cents per-gallon gas tax, lowest in the United States, increases today for the first time in 45 years. As of July 1, the tax increases to 12.25 cents. Yes, by less than a penny. Percentage wise, though, it looks bigger: 8.4 percent.
States Ally with Telecoms to Obstruct Municipal Broadband
Telecom companies don’t want to compete with local governments to provide Internet to residents, but a recent rule by the federal government allows them to do just that. Pushback has come from an unlikely source: state attorneys general.
12-Cent Gas Tax Increase Deal in Washington State
The Associated Press reports that while the exact details of the compromise plan that involve an 11.9-cent gas tax increase have yet to be released, the deal affects Gov. Jay Inslee's proposed low carbon fuel standard.
Transportation Spending and Taxing Considered by Key Senate Committee
When Congress returns from the July 4 recess, they will have less than four weeks to pass and fund a transportation bill—be it for six years, as desired by transportation advocates, or less, as Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch prefers.
Op-Ed: Maryland Governor Is No Friend to Transit
According to this editorial, Governor Larry Hogan's decision to halt a planned $2.9 billion light rail line betrays a politically-motivated preference for roads.
Phoenix Mayor Advocates Self-Reliance Due to Federal Gridlock
Frustrated with Congress' inability to fund a six-year transportation bill, Mayor Greg Stanton is backing an August sales tax measure to expand light rail. Stanton also discusses climate change and water rights in the article and accompanying videos
Overcoming Roadblocks to Data-Driven Governance in Cities
Pursuing Mayor Garcetti's "back-to-basics" agenda, the city of Los Angeles' notoriously complex and convoluted bureaucracy has taken big leaps toward data-driven governance—thanks, in large part, to Deputy Mayor of Budget and Innovation Rick Cole.
ReBuild Houston Lawsuit Threatens Road Repair Projects
If a controversial fee fails the scrutiny of the state's courts, roads around the city will suffer the consequences.
Confederate Flag Debate Spreading to Federal Transportation Funding
An Ohio Senator hopes to use the transportation reauthorization bill to motivate states that issue license plates bearing the Confederate flag to remove them. A week ago the Supreme Court ruled states can do so without violating the first amendment.
Cities Lose Supreme Court Case on Sign Regulation
The Supreme Court, in two separate opinions, unanimously ruled on June 18 against an Arizona town's sign regulation that denied the placement of a street sign based on its content. At question was a sign directing passers-by to a church service.
Inflation, not Fuel Efficiency, Is Main Flaw of Gas Tax
Yes, vehicles have become more fuel efficient, but a just-released report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows that inflation is 3.5 times more responsible for the decline in the purchasing power of the gas tax.
Use Positive Storytelling to Change the Message for Alternative Transportation
Until advocates and agencies find positive stories to tell about multi-modal decision-making the car will continue to dominate the messaging and branding of contemporary culture.
Senate Committee Will 'DRIVE' Transportation Reauthorization
The Senate's DRIVE Act is shaping up to be the first six-year transportation reauthorization bill since 2009. Notwithstanding the acronym, it's not all that bad, writes Tanya Snyder of Streetsblog USA. Finding funding for it is another story.
Pope Goes Global: Let's Talk Local
Pope Francis, sticking to his job description, is out to save the world and all its creatures. Maybe we can help in our own little universes, where we can influence planning and design that makes for swell places and for reduced contributions to GHG.
Why Google's 'Sidewalk Labs' Is Such a Big Deal
Earlier in June, Google announced the creation of an "urban innovation company" called Sidewalk Labs. One writer explains the genesis of the company as well as its potential for the future of how cities operate.
Seattle Mayor to Create New 'Office of Planning and Community Development'
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced the creation of a cabinet-level Office of Planning and Community Development to address the city's explosive growth.
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
