Government / Politics

Caroline Davies reports on the development of a women-only industrial city in Saudi Arabia, that the government hopes will give women a more prominent role in their country's development while maintaining their second-class status.

August 15, 2012 - The Guardian

Would raising the gas tax to $1 and establishing a 'gasoline price floor' provide market stability for auto dealers? Some dealers, including the nation's largest, say 'yes'. Economists agree. Politically impossible? Read on.

August 15, 2012 - National Journal

Three decades after it was established, the EPA's Superfund program is taking on some of the most complex and costly projects ever attempted. With many focused underwater, some worry the stirring up of polluted sediment will exacerbate the problem.

August 15, 2012 - The New York Times

We get it, China's cities are big and getting bigger. But what's it like to live there? Isaac Stone Fish takes a closer look at the quality of life in Chinese cities, and finds them almost uniformly monolithic and unlivable.

August 15, 2012 - Foreign Policy

Stanley Kurtz traces the mechanisms by which he believes President Obama intends to "abolish" the suburbs in a possible second term, and the roots of his desire, stretching back to his training as a community organizer.

August 14, 2012 - National Review

The board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, in charge of the region's most expensive transportation project in decades, has come under fire in recent days from federal officials for being dysfunctional, out of control and secretive.

August 14, 2012 - The Washington Post

Ethan Zuckerman pens a thought provoking piece on the potential downsides of crowdfunding public improvement projects. Is there a way to avoid the unequal and government-shrinking effects of funding public projects through private contribution?

August 14, 2012 - my heart's in accra

With Mitt Romney's announcement of Paul Ryan as his running mate, America's Presidential campaign is heating up. With Ryan, and his policies, attached to the ticket, Yonah Freemark looks at the contrast in transportation policy with President Obama.

August 13, 2012 - the transport politic

Milan's six-month-old congestion charge, indirectly authorized by public referendum and by all measures successful in reducing traffic, crashes, and pollution, has been brought to an abrupt end by the successful appeal of a parking garage owner.

August 13, 2012 - The New York Times - Europe

Seeking to rival the Broadway theater district in New York and the West End in London, DreamWorks Animation SKG recently announced plans to develop a $3.1 billion cultural and entertainment district in Shanghai.

August 13, 2012 - The New York Times

The rise of the innovation economy is driving fierce competition between cities across America to attract medical facilities and universities as job providers and engines of development.

August 13, 2012 - Urban Land Magazine

Zurich underwent a major parking policy change for its downtown - from 'predict and provide' (i.e. parking minimums) to 'cap and replace'. When a new parking space is provided, a surface parking space is designated toward public plazas.

August 13, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

J. David Goodman spotlights New York-based Transportation Alternatives, the 40-year-old pedestrian, bicycle, and transit advocacy organization that has become a potent political force.

August 12, 2012 - The New York Times

The mostly unfamiliar cities of China's vast inland territories are growing at an exponential rate, attracting global businesses, infrastructure investment, and residents in search of opportunities.

August 12, 2012 - NPR

Experimental efforts are being made to harness the extreme currents off Maine's coast, as underwater tidal energy turbines could soon generate power for nearby homes and businesses.

August 12, 2012 - The New York Times

From Buenos Aires, to Mexico City, to Bogota, cities across Latin America are embracing the bicycle. Across Central and South America, bike lane miles and the numbers of bicycles on the streets are on the rise.

August 11, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Driven by its long-cultivated arts community, development of Columbus, Ohio's Short North neighborhood has defied the economic downturn as investment in the once-downtrodden area continues.

August 11, 2012 - The New York Times

The futuristic sounding "Domain Awareness System," NYC's newest crime fighting tool, utilizes cutting edge technology to further cut down on crime in what has become "one of the safest big metropolitan areas in America."

August 10, 2012 - The Guardian

As the fear of more local government bankruptcies rises, William Fulton argues that sprawling development patterns play a key role in leading cities to run in the red.

August 10, 2012 - CNN

Zoning codes, street standards, parking regulations, and other hidden determinants of the built environment are like regulatory zombies from the distant past, throwing up barriers in the path of human-scale placemaking, writes Robert Steuteville.

August 9, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns