Government / Politics
New Haitian President Faces Major Rebuilding Challenges
Michel Martelly is the newly elected president of Haiti. He faces the large challenge of rebuilding much of the country's population center, which was devastated by an earthquake in January 2010.
Funding Issues Keep American Tranposrtation Infrastructure Down
This article from The Economist explains why America's transportation system is failing, and how the federal government's infrastructure funding mechanisms are contributing to the decline.
Other Cities Look at L.A.'s Transit Funding Plan
Los Angeles has taxed itself to raise money for transit projects, and now officials want to borrow against those future earnings to speed up projects. This article wonders if that's a model other cities can and should follow.
How Chinese Megacities Avoid Problems
Megacities are quickly on the rise in China. But as this post from New Geography argues, they've managed to avoid problems currently faced by other megacities in developing nations.
The Chaos of Los Angeles
Conor Friedersdorf writes that Los Angeles is made up by 88 different municipalities, 10 million residents and a lot of unincorporated territory, making it difficult to decide who controls what.
Decentralizing Decisionmaking in New Orleans' Recovery
Various plans and strategies have been crafted over the years to try to help New Orleans recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. While early plans took a stronger stance, the city is now taking a less heavy-handed approach.
Improving Planning in San Francisco
The Wall Street Journal talks with Gabriel Metcalf, executive director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, about where the city is heading and how it needs to change.
New Design Guidelines for U.S. Embassies
The US State Department Bureau of Overseas Building Operations plans to release new guidelines for design excellence to inform the architecture of embassies around the world.
HBO's 'Treme' as a Pro-Urban Argument
In this interview, Treme creator David Simon discusses what motivated team that produced "The Wire" to turn their attention from Baltimore to New Orleans.
NJ Gov. Christie on the Hook for $271 Million
New Jersey owes the Feds $271 million for canceling the infamous, $9 billion Hudson River rail tunnel. The state was ordered to pay up in not-so-subtle terms by DOT Secretary LaHood.
Billion Dollar Rail Proposed in Victoria
Planners in Victoria, British Columbia, are proposing a new light rail line for the city. Despite its $1 billion price tag, the transit line is expected to see wide support.
D.C. Bikeshare Considers Expansion
The bike sharing system that's been operating in Washington D.C. has seen success in its early months, and an expansion is planned.
Fighting Canadian Sprawl with TDRs
The TDR, or transfer of development rights, could be a way for Canadian cities to reduce the expansion of its sprawling cities, according to this piece.
Jane Jacobs and the Downfall of Planning
Is urban planning losing its relevance as a profession? Some say yes. In this essay from Places, Thomas Campanella suggests that the roots of this fall from grace lie in the era of Jane Jacobs.
A Parking Lot is a Terrible Thing to Waste
Smart growth proponents are fighting a New Jersey transit agency plan that would lease out dozens of parking facilities to private operators for 30 to 50 years.
The Case Against Redevelopment Agencies
An article in City Journal praises Governor Jerry Brown's efforts to defund California's redevelopment agencies at a time when the state faces a $26 billion deficit. The author writes that the agencies are wasteful and ineffective.
Reinventing Madrid
The completed Madrid Rio Project will transform a highway into a large urban park, and is just part of the ambitious agenda of Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, an agenda that earned him the nickname "the pharaoh."
The Yin and Yang of Urban Redevelopment in Hong Kong
Researchers from the University of Washington trace the history and development of Hong Kong, the skyscraper capital of the world, from reclamation of waterfront land in the 1800's to contentious urban renewal projects today.
A Road Tax on Electric Cars
WA state is considering the nation's first fee on electric cars to cover road wear since they pay no gas tax, the primary funding mechanism for funding road maintenance and construction. However, critics point out that the fee is flat, not variable.
Making Cities 'Age-Friendly'
Americans are getting older. But are cities responding to the needs of their older residents?
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
