Government / Politics
Slow Progress on America's High-Speed Rail Efforts
Milton Lindsay examines America's efforts to build a national system of high-speed trains and finds mixed results in the nation's eleven intended corridors.
Billboards on Versailles, the Colosseum, or Venice Canals?
As the European financial crisis drags on, money for the continent's numerous architectural and historical resources remains limited. As a result, cities are looking for new revenue streams, including billboards and image rights.
Bridging the Gap: Freeway Caps Proposed in Smaller Cities
As plans progress in many large cities to cap their below-grade urban freeways, smaller cities, like Ventura, California, are looking to benefit from similar proposals.
Why Your City Should Be Paying Attention to England's Latest Banking Scandal
Have you been following the recent Libor banking scandal with detached bewilderment? Well, your public officials should probably be paying close attention, because there's a chance it may have had a substantial impact on your city's finances.
Brooklyn’s Great Gentrification Divide
Joseph Berger examines how gentrification in certain Brooklyn neighborhoods has revealed a conflict of values among residents.
Community Collaboration Gains Momentum in the UK
Following on historic new powers granted recently to cities across England, RIBA and ResPublica have published a new paper arguing for greater collaboration with local communities in neighborhood planning, writes Irina Vinnitskaya.
Diving into the Details: Map-21 and Alternative Transportation
Continuing his series examining the changes and new provisions detailed in the new federal surface transportation bill, Jason Jordan, APA's Director of Policy and Government Affairs, looks at the new Transportation Alternatives program.
Who's Behind the Anti-Agenda 21 Firestorm?
Lloyd Alter investigates the individuals and organizations "manufacturing" the anti-Agenda 21 campaign, and argues that "Big Oil" is helping to bankroll anti-sustainability efforts.
Can Suburbia Serve the Poor?
An editorial in The New York Times looks at the dramatic growth of poverty in America's suburbs over the last decade, and asks if the government safety net is up to the challenge.
Canadian Planners at a Crossroads
As several major Canadian cities seek to hire new chief urban planners, candidates are facing an emerging set of demographic and political challenges, while some question the role such officials should have in shaping the country's landscape.
'Bi-Partisan' Transportation Bill Now Law
President Obama signed the transportation bill known as MAP-21 on July 6 that also maintains low student loan rates, ending the three-year process of three-month extensions of SAFETEA-LU. He praised the bill as bipartisan and job-saving.
Nail-biter Vote In CA: State Senate Approves High Speed Rail
Without a vote to spare, the CA state senate voted to authorize $5.8 billion to begin construction in the Central Valley of the nation's first true HSR system. The assembly passed the bill earlier in the week.
The Ugly Story Behind the New Transportation Bill
Willamette Week interviews U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon about the shenanigans going on behind-the-scenes of the newly-approved Transportation Bill.
English Cities Gain Historic New Powers
In what Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg calls a "dramatic power shift", England's largest cities have gained new powers to control their economies and transportation, reports Sam Lister.
The British Columbia 'Tax Swap'
An environmental economist and a law professor pronounces the increased carbon tax in British Columbia "the smartest tax in the world" and advise the U.S. to get onboard.
Public Sector Stops Firing, and Starts Hiring
According to new data, state and local governments hired 828,000 workers in the first four months of the year, "up 20% from a year earlier, and the most since 2008," stoking hopes that government job growth may be on the way.
Can Smart Growth Save Lake Tahoe?
Planners in major urban areas have long been touting the virtues of density, mixed use, and public transit. But can these smart growth principles apply in a wilderness area dedicated to seasonable tourism?
TIFIA Amount Increases & Eligibility Expands - Too Much?
In the coming days readers will learn more about America's new transportation funding plan MAP-21, which will guide surface transportation planning through 2014. In this piece, Tanya Snyder centers on changes to the popular TIFIA lending program.
Iraq's Maxi Malls Marginalize Public Sector
The nation of Iraq is building itself anew after the last of the US troops evacuated six months ago, but experts are saying that their wealth, which has created an invasion of shopping malls around the country, is subsidizing the public agenda.
In Singapore, Your Landlord is Most Likely the Government
Singapore has a robust public housing program, which comes from the government operating 80% of the housing stock. Neal Peirce spells out how the system works.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
