Government / Politics

Our annual list of the 10 best planning, design, and development websites represents some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.

March 17, 2011 - Abhijeet Chavan

TIME Magazine called Toni Griffin a "star urban planner" as she was hired in March of 2010 to head up the downsizing of Detroit. But as The Architect's Newspaper reports, one year later Griffin is mysteriously AWOL.

March 16, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

In the wake of the disasters which devastated parts of Japan, Russell Nichols of Governing investigates the state of disaster preparedness in US cities and states.

March 16, 2011 - Governing

Infrastructure may be the issue that brings the parties together. The Infrastructurist says that both sides are in support of a public-private partnership to fund large infrastructure projects.

March 16, 2011 - The Infrastructurist

The Democrat, Maxine Waters, objects to the 10 & 110 Freeway high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes on the basis of equity while Rep. Gary G. Miller, the ranking CA Republican on the House Transportation Committee, sees it as "double taxation".

March 16, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Both houses of the Michigan Legislature have passed bills expanding the governor's right to declare a "financial emergency" and appoint managers to run cities, towns and school districts with little local oversight.

March 15, 2011 - Daily Tribune

Facing possible dissolution, redevelopment agencies in California have gone on a bond-spree in the early months of 2011.

March 14, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Port-au-Prince, the devastated capital of Haiti, is far from recovery. But as it and the rest of the country tries to rebound, some are thinking creatively about how best to rebuild the city's center.

March 14, 2011 - Citiwire

As London prepares to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, new rules about its waterways could force hundreds of houseboat residents out of the city's canals.

March 14, 2011 - Guardian

Timothy Egan describes growing American ethnoburbs, or "entire cities" (or suburbs) "dominated by a nonwhite ethnic group," and their implications for politics and power.

March 14, 2011 - New York Times

The name has changed, butt he reform game stays the same. Chief Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner has promised a more transparent project approval process. A team of consultants is just beginning to pitch their ideas.

March 13, 2011 - The Planning Report

As California's coastal counties see less growth in 2010 Census figures, the state's inland areas could become bigger players in politics.

March 13, 2011 - The Sacramento Bee

Budget-troubled Jefferson County, Alabama -- once thought to be on the brink of the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history -- is moving forward with plans to clean up its finances.

March 11, 2011 - Reuters

Governmental support for plans for a religious theme park in Kentucky featuring a replica of Noah's Ark have spurred protests.

March 11, 2011 - NPR

The Indian state of Maharashtra has proposed new rules that would require developers to reserve 35% of new units for low and middle-income families.

March 10, 2011 - Affordable Housing Legislation May Come to Mumbai

Drastic flooding inundated Queensland, Australia, and damaged many of the city's buildings. As recovery begins, some are rethinking the city's development patterns.

March 10, 2011 - Architectural Record

Neighbors across the country are clashing over whether or not to build sidewalks in their neighborhoods.

March 10, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Critics in Toronto are blasting a new transit plan from Mayor Rob Ford that they say overlooks the city's suburban areas.

March 10, 2011 - The Toronto Star

The Chinese megacity of Chongqing has announced plans to install a half a million surveillance cameras by 2012.

March 9, 2011 - Agence France Presse

Columbus, Ohio has been experimenting with zoning overlays, which do not change the underlying land use regulations but add a set of form-based regulations focused on livability.

March 9, 2011 - Columbus Dispatch