Government / Politics

Police response times average 58 minutes for worst crimes and at times only 10 of the city's 36 ambulances are in service: Detroit's woes extend far beyond its unpaid debts. Many residents are hoping emergency management will bring drastic change.

July 11, 2013 - The New York Times

Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tex.) have introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would create America's first extraterrestrial national park - the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historic park.

July 10, 2013 - CNN

If Gov. John Kitzhaber signs SB 810, as expected, Oregon will create a voluntary program for up to 5,000 motorists who will pay 1.5-cents for every mile they drive instead of the 30-cent state fuel excise tax.

July 10, 2013 - Statesman Journal

Fewer cars on the road, less driving, why not fewer parking spots? Cities like D.C., L.A., Denver, Philadelphia are responding by reducing or eliminating parking minimums, while Portland, which had already eliminated them, are bringing them back.

July 10, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Wash. state senate Republicans dealt a crushing blow to governors of both Wash. and Ore. by killing a 10.5-cent gas tax bill needed to tap $850 million in federal funds to finance rebuilding of two, obsolete I-5 spans over the Columbia River.

July 8, 2013 - The Columbian

Mitchell Silver's passionate defense of planning has earned admirers in England, where "a deflated planning profession is on the defensive". Peter Hetherington looks at Silver's advice for how English planners can show their value to skeptics.

July 8, 2013 - The Guardian

In an era of mobile people and capital, the most ambitious cities position themselves as international players. By examining the 10 key traits of successful "global" cities, Brookings hopes to help local leaders "gauge their global starting point."

July 7, 2013 - Brookings: The Avenue

Not many non-Londoners know what the City of London is. Even fewer know about its political ties to the finance industry.

July 7, 2013 - NPR Morning Edition

Gov. Tom Corbett's goal of increasing transportation funding was thwarted by political differences in the House. Republicans couldn't agree on lifting the gas tax cap while Democrats wanted more funding for transit. They will try again in the fall.

July 5, 2013 - Star Gazette

American reliance on property taxes leads to NIMBYism and periodic tax revolts, thus impeding both development and basic public services.

July 4, 2013 - Michael Lewyn

Unlike the United Sates, Canada, and Great Britain, few countries raise substantial revenues from property taxes. The Economist argues that property taxes are among the most efficient, stable, and progressive forms of taxation and should be embraced.

July 3, 2013 - The Economist

Public transit that serves rural communities is no less essential to the everyday needs of their users as those systems that serve cities. So, why do some states seem so eager to cut subsidies to rural transit providers?

July 2, 2013 - Rooflines

A 2.7% increase on Ohio Turnpike Tolls and the new bonds that revenue will generate will not be enough to repair Ohio's aging road and bridge network, so a task force will recommend strategies - one of which must be elimination of the gas excise tax.

July 2, 2013 - The Plain Dealer

Tesla has just disclosed the first fatal crash of a driver using its "Autopilot" system. Tesla should be concerned about the question of who's liable, and we should all be concerned about the wider consequences of this tragic event.

July 2, 2013 - Scott Le Vine

Hazel Borys concludes her whirlwind European travelog. This week: a look at the DNA of Paris, and how to replicate it elsewhere.

July 2, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Two very different grades are assigned, one from David Hawkins, Director of Climate Programs at NRDC; the other from a college senior working on a fossil fuel divestment campaign. Michael Brune of the Sierra Club differs with Hawkins on natural gas.

July 1, 2013 - Living on Earth

The 12-county downstate commuter tax is vilified by many living outside New York City - forced to pay a payroll tax to support transit that they may not use. They sued the MTA and won last August, but MTA had the ruling reversed on appeal on June 26.

June 30, 2013 - Second Ave. Sagas

In a forceful op-ed, professor John D. Echeverria argues the Supreme Court's recent "blockbuster" land use decision will "result in long-lasting harm to America’s communities." Not so fast, says Rick Hills, the decision offers an "exit strategy".

June 30, 2013 - The New York Times

Over the next decade, $1 billion will be spent to repair the state's deteriorating roads. Like many states unwilling to raise gas taxes, most will come from transfers from the general fund, though $41.4 million per year will be from car sales taxes.

June 28, 2013 - South Carolina's $1 billion Road Bill Signed By Gov. Haley

Carl Skelton argues that the public needs new tools of citizenship to participate fully in the digital cities of the near future.

June 28, 2013 - Places Journal