Government / Politics

While the federal government has dithered on comprehensive programs to limit greenhouse gas emissions, states and cities have led such efforts. Climate change skeptics are now leading efforts to reverse state renewable energy mandates across the US.

November 30, 2012 - The Washington Post

Howard Blackson's "Next Urbanism Lab" series looks at recent trends and lessons learned for urban designers. While the Bilbao Effect, the Vancouver Model, the High Line, and Active Living may provide seductive role models, local insight is key.

November 30, 2012 - PlaceShakers

In the aftermath of controversial Mayor Rob Ford's ouster this week, architecture critic Christopher Hume looks at how Toronto's next mayor can begin to "deal with issues that matter."

November 29, 2012 - The Toronto Star

The Pentagon is building a "CyberCity" that simulates real communications and operations, reports Robert O'Harrow Jr. Government hackers will train to attack and defend the nation's critical infrastructure in cyberspace.

November 29, 2012 - The New York Times

Yesterday, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) was named the new head of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, replacing former chair John Mica. With MAP-21 expiring in less than two years, what can rail and bike/ped advocates expect?

November 29, 2012 - DC.Streetsblog

Gated communities such as Sea Gate in Brooklyn and Breezy Point in Queens "have long held the rest of the city at arm’s length." Following Hurricane Sandy, residents are now seeking financial assistance from the city to rebuild their homes.

November 29, 2012 - The New York Times

Damien Newton reports on L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's creation of a Transit Corridors Cabinet (TCC) to coordinate the work of all City departments and agencies with the goal of producing a "more transit-oriented Los Angeles."

November 28, 2012 - Streetsblog LA

World climate talks convened in oil and gas-rich Qatar on Monday, and many eyes have turned to the U.S. Will it be receptive to a climate treaty in light of the devastation reaped on the Northeast by Superstorm Sandy? Can the world agree to a treaty?

November 28, 2012 - The Hill's Energy & Environment Blog

Transit-oriented developments multiplied and held their values comparatively well in the housing crisis. In this article, Josh Stephens explores whether the trend will continue post-recession, or if sprawl is poised for a comeback.

November 28, 2012 - InTransition Magazine

After a decade of steady declines in traffic-related fatalities in New York City, amid a focused effort to improve traffic safety, Robert Kolker examines why such deaths spiked upward of 23 percent in the past year.

November 28, 2012 - New York Magazine

Thomas Friedman uses Chattanooga, Tenn. as an example of the "innovative thrust building, bottom-up, in the U.S. economy today." In an opinion piece for the Times, he urges leaders in Washington to help unlock America's embryonic growth surge.

November 27, 2012 - Jonathan Nettler

Under the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries set targets for cutting carbon emissions relative to 1990 levels by 2012. As the globe gathers to discuss extending the expiring agreement, Duncan Clark examines its effectiveness.

November 27, 2012 - The Guardian

We all have our role models in life. Never are they more pivotal than in the visioning required for placemaking. Failing to have patterns that perform economically, socially, and environmentally is a critical mistake says Nathan Morris.

November 27, 2012 - PlaceShakers

A decade of relentless, and exhausting, opposition by those "who saw democracy being trampled in the interest of a developer whose methodology they found offensive," has taken its toll on the ranks of opponents to Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards project.

November 27, 2012 - The New York Times

As part of a broader effort to encourage less vehicular traffic city-wide, D.C. is expanding permit parking and reducing on-street parking in some of the city's most crowded neighborhoods. Not all are happy with the changes, reports Tim Craig.

November 27, 2012 - The Washington Post

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, a new task force convened by New York's Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council speaker Christine C. Quinn will look into potential changes to the city's building code, with recommendations due next summer.

November 26, 2012 - The New York Times

After two years of making enemies in the city's planning, design, and transit communities, Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford has been given the boot for violating the city's conflict-of-interest law.

November 26, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

It could be a win-win: Reducing the deficit, stimulating job creation, and avoiding the dreaded 'fiscal cliff'. Those pushing for a gas tax increase have joined other industries in using the need to raise and/or cut $500 billion to avoid recession.

November 26, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

The public is increasingly showing support for hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas - and it's reflected at the ballot box as many pro-drilling candidates were elected. In fact, the debate has shifted from banning to what to do with new tax revenue.

November 24, 2012 - USA Today

In the three steps of placemaking, crafting a meaningful vision is the first and most straightforward, yet it's the most under-leveraged. Continuing his series on "Municipal Placemaking Mistakes," Nathan Norris describes how to get it right.

November 23, 2012 - PlaceShakers