Government / Politics
Can A Charter City Save Honduras?
Adam Davidson explores Honduras's experimentation with economist Paul Romer's theories on the need for poor countries to build special economic development zones that essentially "start from scratch" with new legal and political systems.
Transportation Reauthorization: Being Responsible Means Not Raising Gas Tax
Responsible funding for transportation may no longer be the conventional "pay-as-you-go" user fee system whereby drivers pay for projects through gas taxes. House Transportation Chair Mica wants to fund the bill responsibly, but rules out new taxes.
The Real Story Behind NYC's Bike Share Coup
Neighborhoods skipped, sponsorship indifference, the entire program imperiled? Read what Andrea Bernstein has to report about the items left out of Monday's splashy announcement.
Does England Need More Mayors?
On the occasion of recent elections in England that saw the defeat eight of the nine referendums seeking approval for directly elected mayors, Peter Hetherington laments the state of local governance in the country.
The Street Hacker Finds an Open Source Embrace in SF
Emily Badger tracks the hacking phenomenon as it migrates from the virtual to the physical world, and the official channels that are embracing and facilitating its emergence.
Proposed Pittsburgh Transit Cuts Spark Outrage
An unprecedented 35 percent transit service reduction scheduled to commence on September 2 has united Pittsburgh lawmakers, business owners, and medical professionals in opposition, reports Jon Schmit.
WSJ Hears From CA Smart Growth Bill Author
The Wall Street Journal printed a response to the Wendall Cox opinion, “California Declares War on Suburbia” by none other than the author of the bill (SB 375) that Cox holds responsible for the war, Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg.
India's Megacity Discusses its Mega-Problems
Naresh Fernandes chronicles a recent upsurge in events providing opportunities for Mumbai's residents, and fascinated guests, to discuss the city's myriad challenges, and possible solutions. But can all the talk result in real action?
Is Portland Well Planned? Its Mayor Doesn't Think So
Mayor Sam Adams pens an opinion piece for Grist in which he considers why Portland is not as well planned as it could be, and how a different approach to planning is necessary for American cities to address their most pressing challenges.
Is London Next in Line to Embrace the Bike?
Kaya Burgess and Rhoda Buchanan report on a ride for cyclists' rights in the English capital, where political support for more inclusive streets is gaining momentum.
Making Metros Work
In an opinion piece for The Denver Post, Neal Peirce summarizes a new report on the practical ways in which metropolitan regions around the country are working across jurisdictional boundaries to lay the groundwork for prosperous futures.
Obama Attacks GOP Over Transportation Bill
In a speech yesterday to the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department Conference, President Obama made his most pointed remarks yet on the failure of the House to take up the Senate's bipartisan transportation bill.
How Can We Create Effective Regional Planning?
Kaid Benfield looks at shortcomings of the dominant national apparatus for regional planning - the Metropolitan Planning Organization - through the lens of transportation, and pines for new mechanisms for regional cooperation.
Surveying Four Years of "Borisopolis"
As London's next mayoral election draws near, Rowan Moore evaluates the good and the bad in planning, architecture, and design from Mayor Boris Johnson's first four years at the helm.
Next Transportation Bill In The Works, Finally!
SAFETEA-LU, the 2005 surface transportation funding bill, expired two years and seven months ago. Nine extensions later, the House and Senate will sit down and work out its successor in a conference committee after the House passed a tenth extension.
Denver Experiments With Participatory Budgeting
Bill Fulton and Chris Haller look at Denver's recent efforts to involve its residents in helping to solve next years anticipated $94 million budget gap.
Toronto Revives Transit Plan, Despite Mayoral Disapproval
Yonah Freemark reports on the implausible turn of events that has Toronto transit boosters back on the course they charted five years ago, pursuing the much-debated Transit City plan.
Should NIMBYs Decide a City's Future?
As much-needed residential development projects in Boston prepare to seek their necessary approvals, George Thrush explores how a plague of "refusenicks" threaten to cost the city its competitive edge.
What Value Does An Infrastructure Bank Provide?
As the concept of infrastructure banks gets increasingly bandied about (see Emanuel, Rahm and Obama, Barack), Aaron M. Renn examines what exactly they do for us that we can’t already do.
City Deficits "Driven" by Suburban Patterns
As San Diego is paralyzed by the cost to maintain its infrastructure, Howard Blackson revels in a eureka moment, provided by Chuck Marohn, in recognizing the city's explicitly suburban pattern of development is a well-documented financial blunder.
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Planning for Universal Design
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City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
