Government / Politics

The FL Supreme Court ruled March 4 against two state senators who sued to save the project despite Gov. Rick Scott's opposition. DOT Secretary LaHood contacted Scott a third time before announcing that $2.4 billion in HSR funds would be redirected.

March 6, 2011 - St. Petersburg Times

Toronto's City Hall is a massive concrete structure. Oddly, so was all its furniture, which was included with the original design. 99% Invisible looks at this unconventional design choice, and the legacy of that furniture.

March 5, 2011 - 99% Invisible

Grist delves into the responses and repercussions of a recent New York Times story about contaminated water in Pittsburgh caused by a method of extracting natural gas known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking.

March 5, 2011 - Grist

Writing for The Architect's Newspaper, Sam Lubell argues that current L.A. zoning regulations require architects and developers to endure a "ridiculous, disjointed, outdated process."

March 4, 2011 - The Achitect's Newspaper

As some voices in Washington D.C. call for increasing the city's building height limit, The Transport Politic looks at what that might mean for transportation demands in the city.

March 4, 2011 - the transport politic

The city of Reno, Nevada has installed nine different wind turbines around town to test out their varying designs in an effort to find out which is the most efficient turbine to consider for large-scale installation.

March 4, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Writing for Newsweek, George Will claims that the real reason that progressives are gung ho for high-speed rail is because it suppresses the individualism of Americans and makes them more subservient to government.

March 3, 2011 - Newsweek

If no solution is made by the end of this week, a government shutdown will grind Washington to a halt. As Steetsblog reports, that shutdown could cost the transportation sector $100 million per day.

March 3, 2011 - Streetsblog

Despite recent state actions to counter the federal government's efforts, President Barack Obama has called on the nation's governors to make infrastructure projects a priority.

March 3, 2011 - Governing

With the Second City experiencing a 7% decline in the population over the past decade, the newly elected Mayor Rahm Emmanuel must adapt to a suburban-dominated environment.

March 2, 2011 - Chicago Tribune

The city of New York has been trying to encourage an increase in bike lanes throughout the city. But the issue has become increasingly political, and progress has been slowed.

March 2, 2011 - The Gotham Gazette

Qatar is building cities from scratch ahead of its hosting duties for the 2022 World Cup. One city to be located near the tournament's final match will house 200,000.

March 2, 2011 - Bloomberg

The city of Chicago is planning to build a network of 280 electric vehicle charging stations throughout the city by the end of the year.

March 2, 2011 - Grist

Angie Schmitt explains why the debate over removing Washington DC's famous height regulations depends on the city's transportation plans.

March 1, 2011 - Streets Blog Network

NYC is asking private investment banks to submit ideas on how to privatize city assets.

March 1, 2011 - Streets Blog

As popularity of "temporary urbanism" initiatives rises, there are increasingly efforts to regulate these sites. Jonna McKone of TheCityFix analyzes the trend.

February 27, 2011 - TheCityFix

The House Appropriations Committee announced earlier this month a proposed elimination of HUD, USDOT and EPA sustainability programs, in addition to pulling already-awarded funding for TIGER grants.

February 27, 2011 - PlaceShakers

As the city of Rio de Janeiro prepares to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, residents there say many of the projects underway are violating their rights.

February 26, 2011 - The Globe and Mail

An emerging design movement is trying to counteract obesity in American cities.

February 26, 2011 - Fast Co. Design

In this piece from Metropolis, Joel Kotkin argues that as the world urbanizes, cities are becoming increasingly unequal and do not provide the opportunities they once did.

February 25, 2011 - Metropolis