Government / Politics
Should NYC's Community Boards Have Term Limits?
Keith Williams reports on the longevity of some members of community boards in New York City. Critics say that the review capacity of the boards would best be served by increased turnover in membership.
Buy a Stamp—Patch a Highway?
This could have been our Friday Funny—but it's for real. House Republicans have suggested that reforming the United States Postal Service, such as ending Saturday delivery and other cost cutting could be used to shore-up the Highway Trust Fund
Debate Intensifies Before EPA Releases New Rules for Power Plants
Both sides are coming out swinging, days before President Obama and EPA Administrator McCarthy release a long-awaited power plant rule on Monday. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a new report concluding the rule would cost $50 billion annually.
Portland Considering 'Street Fee' for Residents and Businesses
The Portland City Council moved quickly in proposing and revising a "street fee" to finance repairs on the city's crumbling roads. Now a more realistic calendar seems to be in place for considering the fee on residents and businesses.
Bill Would Except Marin County from California Affordable Housing Mandate
A bill to create an exception for Marin County for meeting it's state affordable housing requirements is sailing through the legislature and even has the support of affordable housing developers.
The Impossibility of Updating Los Angeles’ Community Plans
Despite years of community engagement, political discussion, and planning, the city of Los Angeles has struggled to pass updated community plans, and in many neighborhoods, developments may suffer through years of litigation and bureaucracy.
Offsetting: A Third Strategy to Fund Federal Transportation Spending
"What program would you cut to continue the same level of transportation spending without raising the gas tax, e.g. cancer treatment programs, Head Start?," asks Streetsblog USA's Tanya Snyder after reading Sen. Bob Corker's (R-Tenn.) recommendation.
New Research: Social Vulnerability Significantly Predicted Storm Damage from Hurricane Ike
Wesley E. Highfield, Walter Gillis Peacock, and Shannon Van Zandt from Texas A&M examine the damage after Hurricane Ike and its relationship to social vulnerability (Available via Open Access, http://goo.gl/K) in a new JPER article.
How are California’s Bullet Train and Affordable Housing Connected?
California Gov. Brown’s support of high speed rail contrasts sharply with his gutting of affordable housing. Michael Russell, real estate developer and advisor, reviews pending bills and potential fixes for affordable housing.
Critical Water Bill Passes Senate, Awaits President's Signature
After passing the House earlier on a 412-4 vote, the Senate voted 91-7 on May 22 to pass a $12.3 billion water infrastructure bill known as Water Resources Reform and Development Act. It had been seven years since the act was last reauthorized.
Will Driverless Cars Spell Doom for Law Enforcement Budgets?
What happens to law-enforcement budget (and, for that matter, municipal budgets) in a future of law-abiding driverless cars?
First Responders Not Prepared for Oil Train Explosions Despite Emergency Order
Notwithstanding an emergency order DOT issued on May 7 that railroads must provide cities oil train information, secrecy continues to cloak the transport of hazardous oil shipments leaving first responders ill-prepared to handle fiery explosions.
Continuing the Fire Safety vs. Urban Design Debate
A dense network of streets creates the conditions for faster response times. Better pedestrian and automobile safety and excellent response times is a win-win. So why are fire officials undermining this network with calls for wider streets?
An Electric Car the CEO Doesn't Want You to Buy
Please, don't buy the Fiat 500 E, stated Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne during his presentation on a Brookings panel on May 20. It's not because it's a bad car—it's because his company loses $14,000 on every sale.
Should the 'Master' Be Removed from Planning?
Activists and officials in Philadelphia are currently debating the chosen nomenclature of one of the largest and most influential forms of planning—master planning.
Mileage Fees Make Inroads in California and Michigan
Vehicle-miles-traveled fees made inroads with a potential "no-fee" pilot program in California and a new academic study in Michigan concluding that the state should adopt them. VMT fees may even get some attention in the MAP-21 Reauthorization.
Transportation Reauthorization Bill Breezes Past First Committee
Receiving a resounding vote of confidence from the Environment and Public Works Committee, the $265 billion, six-year MAP-21 reauthorization bill advanced on its path to keep federal transportation payments going to states through the summer.
Missouri Legislators Vote to Cut Income Tax, Raise Sales Tax for Transportation
After voting to override Governor Jay Nixon's veto of an income tax cut, legislators agreed to allow voters to determine whether to increase the state sales tax by .75% in November for ten years to increase funding for transportation programs.
Texas Outpaces California in Promoting Alternative-Fuel Vehicles
In the state of Big Oil, all types of electric cars, propane, and natural gas fueled vehicles qualify for a $2,500 cash incentive, thanks to a bill passed last year that broadens the current alternative-fueled truck program to light duty vehicles.
San Francisco Initiative Preempts Prop B—Asks Voters for Additional Height at Pier 70
Developer Forest City is getting a jump on the ballot box zoning trend in San Francisco. According to reports, the developer will go to the voters to ask for increased height for a large development at Pier 70 in the neighborhood known as Dogpatch.
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
