Government / Politics

Governor Considers Cutting Redevelopment Agencies

California Governor Jerry Brown has announced plans to reduce the state's budget gaps by possibly eliminating a wide array of projects and agencies, including the state's redevelopment agencies.

January 5, 2011 - The Sacramento Bee

Learning From the Schwarzenegger Era

This op-ed writer does not look kindly at the 7-year legacy of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. As Gov. Jerry Brown addresses the $28 billion budget deficit left by his predecessor, Joe Mathews considers Schwarzenegger's legacy.

January 5, 2011 - Los Angeles Times - Opinion

What Will Chicago Be Like, Post-Daley?

Blair Kamin reflects on the soon-to-be-ex-mayor Richard Daley's legacy, his "passion to build," and how Chicago might be shaped without his influence.

January 4, 2011 - The Chicago Tribune

How Vancouver's Waterfront Went Public

This piece from The Globe and Mail takes a look at the history of Vancouver's waterfront, and how it gradually became public land.

January 3, 2011 - The Globe and Mail

America's Best Communities

American City & County Magazine picks 6 "crown communities" for 2010, which it says "exhibit the qualities that build strong communities: cooperation, creativity and leadership."

January 2, 2011 - American City And County

Cities and Software Developers Collaborate

Cities seeking to become more tech-savvy and open up their data are turning to independent software developers to solve their problems.

January 2, 2011 - Governing

Beijing to Limit Car Registrations to Cut Congestion

In an effort to reduce congestion, Beijing is planning to reduce the amount of vehicle registrations it issues.

January 1, 2011 - Inhabitat

The Origin Story of Randal O'Toole

The noted "antiplanner" tells the story of how, while riding a train across California, he discovered that transportation policy is driven by corrupt politics—and how he got the girl in the process.

December 31, 2010 - The Antiplanner

Reacting, Not Planning, in L.A.

Recently released plans for a possible new football stadium in downtown L.A. show how the city tends to react to developers rather than guide them, according to this criticism.

December 31, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Massachusetts to Get 'Pay As You Drive' Auto Insurance

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% below 1990 levels by 2020, Massachusetts hopes to tap federal funds to help enact a 'Pay As You Drive' auto insurance program to reduce transportation emissions.

December 30, 2010 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

Blame Climate Not Politicians for Weather-Beaten Cities

Extreme weather events have had big city mayors across the world scrambling to clean up messes and prove their cities aren't falling apart. But the real issue is the climate, not the politics.

December 30, 2010 - The Atlantic

The Case Against Inclusionary Housing

Affordable housing mandates - "inclusionary zoning" - have been a popular way for cities to deal with high housing costs. But Stephen Smith says there are real market costs, and while the empirical work is in its infancy, it doesn't look promising.

December 30, 2010 - Market Urbanism

Moving Past Jakarta

Officials in Indonesia are increasingly considering a plan to relocate the capital from Jakarta to another, less troubled location.

December 30, 2010 - Guardian

Taking New York City's Parks Through Tough Times

New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe talks with Next American City about the city's increased emphasis on creating active public spaces and how his department is handling budget cuts.

December 29, 2010 - Next American City

Olympic Village Blasted for Missing Affordable Housing Targets

Housing activists in Vancouver are criticizing the city for only offering a small portion of the Olympic Village built for the 2010 Winter Olympics as affordable housing.

December 29, 2010 - Straight

Urban Policies and the Impact of the Tea Party

As the Tea Party prepares to move into its new seats in the Congress, many are left wondering what impact they will have on urban issues and legislation.

December 29, 2010 - Next American City

Cities Take Business Approach to Planning

Cities around the world are applying business-style techniques to planning and encouraging economic development.

December 29, 2010 - Citiwire

Considering Bankruptcy in Michigan

The tiny city of Hamtramck, Michigan, is edging closer to bankruptcy, as budget woes grow.

December 28, 2010 - The New York Times

Rio's New Citywide Control Room

IBM is partnering with the city of Rio de Janeiro to build a massive "citywide control room" to monitor and respond to emergencies.

December 28, 2010 - Fast Company

The Federal Government's Green Building Megaproject

The federal government set aside $5.5 billion in stimulus funding to retrofit its huge fleet of buildings. $4.5 billion is to be spent on green building projects, some of which have already been launched.

December 28, 2010 - National Geographic

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.