Government / Politics

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.

May 2, 2012 - The Denver Post

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.

May 1, 2012 - Transportation Nation

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.

May 1, 2012 - Switchboard

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.

May 1, 2012 - The Guardian

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.

April 29, 2012 - The Hil

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.

April 28, 2012 - Engaging Cities

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.

April 27, 2012 - the transport politic

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.

April 26, 2012 - Boston Magazine

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.

April 24, 2012 - Urbanophile

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.

April 24, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Who Can Solve London's Great Challenges?

Against the backdrop of a made-for-tv mayoral election, Richard Florida looks at the litany of issues afflicting London as the city struggles with the deepest challenges it has faced since the Great Depression and post-war years.

April 24, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

The Biggest NYC Infrastructure Project You Haven't Heard of...

NYC's long-declining waterfront industry is expected to experience a new boom time, as the expansion of the Panama Canal will allow double the cargo and much larger ships to call at New York's harbor by 2024.

April 24, 2012 - MetroFocus

Ramping Up Attacks on California's Planners

The Wall Street Journal's obsession with planning in California continued this past weekend, as they asked Joel Kotkin, demographer and "Truman Democrat", to discuss what he believes is driving "the great California exodus".

April 23, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Mitt Romney: Smart Growth Champion?

Lisa Hymas has a fascinating look at the anti-sprawl effort championed by Mitt Romney during his time as Governor of Massachusetts, which became the model for a key Obama “smart growth” initiative — the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

April 23, 2012 - Grist

House Passes Next Transportation Extension, Defying Obama

With the March 31, three-month transportation extension signed, the House passed another to begin July 1. It includes the authorization of the Keystone XL Pipeline in defiance to the President. The next step is a conference committee with the Senate

April 23, 2012 - The Hill: E2 Wire

What Toronto Needs From Its Next Chief Planner

As Toronto casts a net across North America in a search to replace recently retired planning chief Gary Wright, Christopher Hume expresses his hopes, and the likely depressing outcome, of the city's efforts.

April 23, 2012 - Toronto Star

What Are the Biggest Challenges Facing America's Mayors?

Earlier this week, Charlie Rose hosted a roundtable discussion with the mayors of Chicago, Baltimore, Jacksonville, and Louisville on how they're working to revitalize their cities in challenging economic times.

April 20, 2012 - Charlie Rose

Vallejo Approves First City-Wide Participatory Budgeting Process in US

The City Council of Vallejo, California, approved the first city-wide Participatory Budgeting process in the US this week. Residents will directly decide how to spend around $3 million from new sales tax revenue.

April 20, 2012 - Times Herald

LA Mayor Stakes His Legacy on Transit Plan

Stymied by multiple attempts to leverage one of his key political victories as mayor - the passage of a half-cent tax increase to fund transit in LA - Villaraigosa announced another bid to speed up the expansion of the region's mass transit system.

April 20, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Survey Says: Bay Area 10-cent Gas Tax Would Fail.....Miserably!

Needing a two-thirds majority to pass, a recent survey suggests that a regional, 9-county gas tax proposal to fund transportation improvement projects in the Bay Area would only receive 43% support if it were to go to the ballot.

April 17, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

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