Government / Politics
The New Redevelopment
As redevelopment agencies face the chopping block in California, new legislation could allow tax increment financing districts to essentially replace them.
New Report: Measuring Pedestrian Safety in the U.S.
Transportation for America (TfA), a campaign to strengthen the nation’s transportation network, released an update to its “Dangerous by Design” report, an analysis of pedestrian safety in the design and use of American streets.
Johannesburg's BRT System Makes Good with Minibus Drivers
Minibus drivers in Johannesburg, South Africa, were not happy about plans to build a city-wide bus rapid transit system, worrying it would take their business away. After sometimes violent debates, the drivers have compromised with the city.
How to Give Your Main Street a Facelift
Larisa Ortiz Pu-Folkes gives some tips for creating an effective facade inprovement program, focusing on making it easier for building owners and merchants to access and take advantage of the funds.
Smell Flowers, Not Smoke in New York Public Parks
The NY Times sent an investigative reporter to Bryant Park to test the new city regulation banning smoking in parks and finds non-smoking park-goers incredibly tolerant toward smoking violations while smokers appear compliant with the regulation.
Political Housing Evolution In San Francisco
Prompted by the May 24 approval by the Board of Supervisors of the massive redevelopment of the Parkmerced garden apartments, The Examiner looks at the city's evolution from protecting city character at all costs to a more urbanist approach.
A Broader Look at Creativity in the World's Top Cities
Top livable cities may be be good for families or corporations, but they don't often fuel or enable creativity the way their listers think they do, according to this piece.
Beautiful, But Not So Vibrant
The city of Vancouver is beautiful, but according to this op-ed, it hasn't yet been able to create a truly vibrant city life.
Report Exposes Wisconsin Governor's "Highway Boondoggles"
Since rejecting $800 million in federal funds for HSR, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has proposed four new highway projects (estimated at a potential cost of $2 billion).
Light Rail Among Cuts in Proposed North Carolina Budget
A new budget proposal in North Carolina could pull all funding for a long-planned extension of Charlotte's light rail system.
Not a High Speed Train to Nowhere
California's high speed rail project has been criticized for starting its first section in the state's central valley and connecting to small towns. But this piece argues that's exactly the right way to do it.
Locals Rally to Stop Highway Extension
A vocal and dedicated contingent of residents have successfully rallied to halt plans to expand a highway in metropolitan Vancouver.
Will Olympics Earn Green Medal for London?
The 2012 Olympics are hoped to create a big economic boost for host city London. The event's long-term impacts on the environment, though, are still hard for organizers to predict.
Making Safer Streets for Aging Populations
As aging populations grow, more cities and design organizations are looking at how to make streets safer for older residents.
Cities Aren't Disposable
So says Maria Choca Urban of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, which recently released a plan for retrieving Cleveland, Ohio from the dustbin.
Gas Prices Fueling Political Squabbles
The highest gas prices since the summer of 2008 have the two political parties taking separate approaches toward the oil industry - each showing how effective they are at killing each other's plans.
Chicago Plans for a Warmer Future
Climate scientists have warned Chicago's planners that the City will be significantly warmer and wetter by the end of theentury. And from street trees to building standards, that message is infiltrating Chicago's planning and design.
Making the Cities of the Future Work
In this series from Glass House Conversations, journalist Greg Lindsay asks what the successful cities of the future will look like, and whether or not they should be built from scratch.
The Importance of Immigrants in America
Keeping America innovative means maintaining its power to lure in immigrants, according to this article. But as it argues, that lure is fading.
Citizens to Vote on Dissolving Their Town
Some residents of St. George, Missouri, population 1,300, are circulating a petition for the November ballot that would disband their town and put them under the jurisdiction of St. Louis County.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
