Government / Politics

Rebuilding of Roads and Bridges are Key to Colorado Flood Recovery

This month's deluge resulted in damage or total destruction of "an estimated 200 miles of state highways and 50 bridges" in over 12 counties, estimated to cost $475 million. Contracts have been awarded for "initial work to be completed by Dec. 1".

September 30, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S. News

D.C.'s Neighborhood Committees Exert a "Great Weight" on Development: For Better or Worse?

Although they're not decision-making bodies, D.C.'s Advisory Neighborhood Committees (ANC’s) exert a powerful influence on the city's development process. David M. Schwarz Architects examine whether that's for better or for worse.

September 30, 2013 - Parchment

New Book Delivers Lessons for Utilizing New Media

Are your marketing strategies in need of a "New Media" refresh? Steve Mouzon's new e-book, New Media for Designers + Builders gets two thumbs up from Susan Henderson and Hazel Borys.

September 29, 2013 - PlaceShakers

$300 Million Aid Package Aimed at Revitalizing Detroit's Neighborhoods

The $300 million in federal and private aid announced Friday for Detroit is just a drop in the bucket compared to the city's $18 billion debt. While the aid is far short of a bailout, it represents a down payment on the city's recovery.

September 28, 2013 - Detroit Free Press

Train Tracks Los Angeles

Feds Move to Boost Sustainable Transportation

With $11.2 million in federal, state and local funds, the US DOT is launching a National Center for Sustainable Transportation. The center aims to reduce the transport sector's contribution to climate change through research, education, and outreach.

September 27, 2013 - Next City

Can L.A.'s New Mayor Drag the City's Operations Into the Digital Era?

With a goal of improving the quality of life for the city's residents, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is embarking on a titanic task: using technology, transparency, and accountability to transform the city's "lumbering" bureaucracy.

September 27, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Earl Blumenauer on America's Unwise Approach to Disaster Planning and Recovery

Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer talks about the failures with federal natural disaster relief and how the country should build its resiliency to climate change with The Planning Report.

September 27, 2013 - The Planning Report

Festivities for "Community Crime Awareness Day." Mississauga City Hall is in the centre of the photo

Why Toronto's Suburbs are the 'New City'

In the Toronto area, the region's suburbs have evolved in ways that make them fundamentally different from their outdated postwar image. Yet the ways we think and talk about the suburbs haven't kept up with this new reality.

September 27, 2013 - Toronto Star

Sign at Silver Lake's Sunset Junction

A Fight Over the Future of "America's 'Most Livable' Community"

LA's trendy Silver Lake neighborhood "is going through a full-blown, divisive identity crisis." Amid trendy boutiques and million dollar homes are bastions of poverty and crime. Activists are divided on how to define, let alone address, its problems.

September 26, 2013 - LA Weekly

Bill Fulton On What It Will Take to Rebuild San Diego's Planning Department

Bill Fulton, noted Smart Growth advocate and Director of Planning for the City of San Diego, looks to rebuild a department and pass community plans in the wake of San Diego's leadership crisis. In this interview, he describes the path ahead.

September 26, 2013 - The Planning Report

Why Transit Is Only Marginally Important to Transit-Oriented Development

In addition to some interesting findings regarding the relative benefits of investment in bus rapid transit, a new report from ITDP reached some fascinating conclusions concerning the factors most important to maximizing transit investment.

September 26, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Finally, California Has a Safe-Passing Law!

Good news for all cyclists riding on Calif. roadways came from Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday when he attached his signature to a bill making it law that drivers give bicyclists at least 3 feet of space when passing from behind - only took him 5 years!

September 25, 2013 - Los Angeles Times - Opinion

Planner Turned Mayor Hopes to Turn Around Struggling SoCal City

Many planners might dream of how they'd change their communities if they were able to run things. In Compton, just south of Los Angeles, new mayor Aja Brown is hoping utilize her planning experience to help turn around the struggling city.

September 24, 2013 - Next City

EPA Power Plant Rule Hinges on Unproven Technology

In order for new coal power plants to meet the EPA's new rules for reduced emissions, they will have to rely on unproven carbon capture and storage (or sequester) technologies, putting the legality of the rule in doubt.

September 24, 2013 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

How Nations Can Help Their Urban "Jewels" to Grow and Prosper

In this era of federal government disfunction, cities have been able to innovate, cooperate, and tackle our biggest challenges. It behooves nation-states to see investment in cities as nation-building, and adjust their policies accordingly.

September 23, 2013 - Meeting of the Minds

Environmentalists Fight Feds Over Drilling in Utah's Treasured Public Lands

Utah's San Rafael Swell is the scene of an energy showdown between conservationists who want to preserve this unique landscape (potentially a national monument), private oil and gas companies that want to drill there, and the BLM that has to decide.

September 23, 2013 - The New York Times - U.S.

Dueling Narratives Describe a Changing Cincinnati Neighborhood

Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood has been the focus of battles over gentrification for decades. Sarah Wesseler examines recent developments in the neighborhood in light of this history.

September 22, 2013 - Satellite Magazine

After 20 Years in Office, Boston Mayor's Legacy Writ in Concrete and Steel

After five terms in office, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino's most enduring impact may bee seen in the city's changing skyline. Rather than go out with a whimper, the Menino era is ending with a bang as the pace of development accelerates.

September 21, 2013 - The New York Times

Fed. Appeals Court Upholds CA's Low Carbon Fuel Standard

The Calif. Air Resources Board received uplifting news from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week when they rejected the charge that the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, designed to reduce carbon intensity in fuel, impeded interstate commerce.

September 20, 2013 - Reuters

Key Players Frame Debate Over Next Federal Transportation Bill

The transportation bill known as MAP-21 expires in a little more than a year, but the key interest groups and political players are already staking out their positions. The posturing is compounded by the worsening state of the Highway Trust Fund.

September 20, 2013 - Politico Pro

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.

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An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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