Government / Politics
Housing Occupancy Down Across U.S.
Unoccupied housing is on the rise in many parts of the country, according to an analysis of U.S. Postal Service data.
To Counter Congestion and Crowding, Moscow Expands
Officials in Moscow are pushing a plan to double the footprint of the city in order to ease congestion and overcrowding. Some worry sprawling development patters will follow.
The Makings of a "Just City"
At the Ford foundations 75th anniversary, Citiwire’s Neal Peirce reports how “ground urban strategies in inclusion and equity” is the secret to a “Just City.”
Connecting Residents With Services in Abu Dhabi Master Plan
The revitalization master plan for two older neighborhoods in Abu Dhabi includes creating "new roads, clinics, schools, police stations and neighborhood centers" and making them easily accessible to residents.
Property Loans Dry Up in Chinese Cities
Banks in China have stopped accepting loan applications for property in the country's second- and third-tier cities in an effort to curb inflation.
Vancouver Plans Big Build to End Homelessness
The city of Vancouver is planning to offer more than $42 million in land and capital grants aimed at developing affordable housing. Its part of a 10-year plan to end homelessness in the city.
Explaining Property and Taxes Through Comic Books
A comic book is helping municipal employees in Brazil to understand how to catalog land for the collection of property taxes.
Empty Stadia and Some Regret in South Africa
One year after it hosted the World Cup, South Africa is looking at empty and expensive stadia and a persistent debt that's causing some to regret hosting the soccer tournament.
"Facts Don't Speak for Themselves"
Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP, explains why being able to tell a good story about plans and development is more valuable than any maps or pretty renderings.
Urban Trees = Cleaner Air
Not that it's a real surprise that trees clean the air, but a new study shows that greenery in cities can have a significant effect on air quality.
"No Net Loss" for Third Places?
Amid the dissolution of Borders bookstores in urban centers, Chuck Wolfe urges policymakers and the private market to assure "no let loss" in the spirit of natural resource protection to assure third places remain available in American cities.
The Tortoise vs. Solar Power
Gov. Brown, a former AG who filed many lawsuits to protect the environment, sided with a renewable energy producer in a lawsuit to stop a huge solar thermal power project in the Mojave Desert on behalf of the threatened desert tortoise.
Does America Need a National Infrastructure Bank?
A new report published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace proposes, among other things, a 5%-per-barrel tax on petro and the creation of the National Infrastructure Bank to cope with transportation budget cuts.
Something's Afoot in Lower Macungie
Jon Geeting of Nazareth Patch says that something fishy is happening in the township of Lower Macungie as megaproject is approved on 600 acres of farmland.
Walmart Win in Washington
Walmart easily received approval for four new big box stores in Washington, D.C. With so much opposition elsewhere, why the open arms in the Beltway?
NY MTA Chief Resigns, Takes Job In Hong Kong
The head of the New York MTA, Jay Walder, is leaving to take charge of a private transportation company in Hong Kong.
Placemaking Is Key To Job Creation, Says Politician
In a post at Project for Public Spaces, a politician from Spokane, WA is quoted as saying the way municipal governments could spur job growth is by building public spaces where people want to live, work, shop and invest.
U.S. Still Missing Bike Lessons from Europe
Bicycling is growing in popularity in the U.S., but it still isn't considered a serious form of transportation as it is in Europe, according to this piece from Yale Environment 360.
Graffiti Tags Up Cities Nationwide
Graffiti has cropped up this year in metropolitan areas like Los Angles to smaller communities like Florence, Alabama. The rise in graffiti has prompted a debate that it may reflect that anxiety and alienation are growing from the recession.
Pagination
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Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
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