Government / Politics

In reviewing a handful of new books looking at cities and how they work, this piece from The New Yorker glosses over the current thinking behind the urban conversation and wonders if city celebration has gone too far.

June 21, 2011 - The New Yorker

Senator Mark Kirk presented details yesterday about his plan to lease public transportation assets to private companies or partner with them to expand transit.

June 21, 2011 - The Chicago Tribune

Banished for 35 years, the merchants themselves have asked the city council to loosen this legislative leash. Dog-walking visitors are surprised when police inform them of the current law, and merchants seek the business that they provide.

June 20, 2011 - Santa Cruz Sentinel

In Washington state, King County Council will vote on a measure to adopt a new algorithm for transit service policy.

June 20, 2011 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

In this post from Reason, Tim Cavanaugh joins the debate over preservation holding back the city, and argues that land use regulations have a wholesale negative impact on the city.

June 20, 2011 - Reason

Japan is typically associated with strong disaster preparedness plans, but the devastation following the March tsunami highlights some of the nation's shortcomings in adapting and reacting, according to this piece from Citiwire.

June 19, 2011 - Citiwire

In Northwestern Indiana, transit projects will outnumber road projects for the firs time in history. Funding for roads, however, still outpaces transit projects.

June 19, 2011 - Post-Tribune

House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica has proposed a bill to privatize Northeast Corridor rail operations. This post from Pedestrian Observations looks at what such a plan would mean.

June 18, 2011 - Pedestrian Observations

The new country of Southern Sudan, officially declaring its independence in July, will have help from the national development arm of South Korea in building a proposed new capital city.

June 17, 2011 - Gulf News

As federal transportation funding grows increasingly uncertain, cities across the country are trying new approaches to generate funds for their planned streetcar projects.

June 17, 2011 - Urban Land

An old disused airport in Brooklyn will be converted into an urban campground, expanding from its current 5 campsites to more than 600.

June 17, 2011 - Inhabitat

The Los Angeles City Council has approved a 7.7-mile bus-only lane on one of the city's busiest thoroughfares.

June 17, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

A Yale University survey yielded a surprising result: climate change policy is becoming less polarizing among Americans of different political affiliations.

June 17, 2011 - D.C. Streesblog

With the unlikely help of a group called the Mayors Automotive Coalition, down-at-the-heels towns are reinventing themselves - in various shades of green.

June 15, 2011 - OnEarth

Top-down and bottom-up planning are brushed aside in favor of the concept of a middle ground approach in the new book "Fast-Forward Urbanism: Rethinking Architecture's Engagement with the City". It could work, according to this review.

June 14, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

At a recent conference on world cities, attendees from all over the world shared the impression that their cities do not receive enough respect from their national governments.

June 14, 2011 - Grist

This piece from Domus goes on a tour of Athens with local architect Andreas Angelidakis, who reflects on the city's lasting and negative impacts from hosting the Olympics.

June 14, 2011 - domus

Years of price hikes and a booming real estate sector look to be coming to a close in China.

June 12, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Los Angeles, Cincinnati and San Francisco are tackling major urban problems quickly and effectively. This post argues that Seattle can learn much from these efforts.

June 12, 2011 - Crosscut

The mayors of the world's biggest cities convened in Sao Paolo recently to team up against climate change and sea level rise. Neal Peirce sees much promise in the effort.

June 11, 2011 - Citiwire