Government / Politics
Shifting Federal Transportation Dollars to Create More Jobs
Shifting federal transportation dollars to transit projects could help create up to 180,000 jobs and not raise the federal deficit, according to a new report.
HSR Opponents Vow To Continue Litigation
Contention over how California's high speed rail train from Los Angeles should access the Bay Area appears to be the dispute that won't go away. Having just lost their case in court only 2 weeks ago, approval of the Pacheco Pass may continue.
Exporting Suburbanism
Developing countries have begun importing Western-style pro-sprawl urban planning policies, often to their detriment. Kuala Lumpur and cities across the communist world are examined.
RLUIPA and the Mosque-Building Controversy
The recent controversies surrounding the building of mosques in cities across America have their resolution in one simple acronym: RLUIPA.
Has American Individualism Failed Society as a Whole?
Mary Newsom questions the current and diminishing lack of public worth in the United States today. " Americans have stopped believing that value is something everyone deserves," she writes.
Temporary Autonomous Zones Alter Public Space in The UK
The increase in outdoor music festivals, guerrilla gardening, temporary restaurants, cinemas and pop-up shops are all examples of "a growing appetite for transforming our apparently prosaic, profit-led landscape into something else."
Dubai's Formula of Tax Free Economic Zones and Mass Tourism Doesn't Work
Joshua Hammer describes his visit to the financially straitened emirate where he found "deserted highways, empty hotel rooms, miles of unsold residential and office space."
Curbing Corruption
Rick Cole, City Manager of Ventura, California, says the recent scandal over inflated city staff salaries in Bell could have been easily avoided with a few simple precautions.
New York Passes Smart Growth Bill
Governor David Paterson signed The Smart Growth Public Policy Infrastructure Policy Act on Monday, which directs the state to invest in infrastructure in dense communities rather than sprawling ones.
The Scuffle Over "Livability"
Representative Earl Blumenauer talks about the recent defeat of livability programs in the Transportation Appropriations Bill.
Bus Riders Union Blasts L.A.'s 30/10 Plan
A proposal in L.A. to use recently approved funding to push 30 years of transportation projects into the next decade has elicited a protest from the city's Bus Riders Union.
Honolulu Law Would Reduce Construction Waste
Legislation working its way through the Honolulu City Council could require construction companies doing work in the Hawaiian city to recycle or reuse as much as 60% of construction materials.
Tolling Heads to Georgia Interstate
A toll lane is coming to a Georgia interstate highway -- a first for the state.
The Economics of China's Mega Traffic Jam
The recent 11-day traffic jam in China was no fluke. As The Economist explains, the crushing congestion is little more than a real-world example of imbalances in supply and demand.
Californian Official Fights Proposed Death Row Project
Bids are open for a new Death Row facility in California, but local lawmakers opposed to the project say that companies shouldn't even waste their time bidding on a project that won't be built.
The Legacy of L.A.'s Former Planning Director
Gail Goldberg recently left the helm of the City of Los Angeles' City Planning Department. AIA Los Angeles takes a look back at her four-year tenure and the positive impacts she made.
Mapping Toronto's Class Divide
Richard Florida plots the geography of class on a map of Toronto to show the deep economic divisions at work in an almost "completely post industrial," city.
The Tangibility and Viability of L.A.'s 30/10 Plan
The Brookings Institution's Robert Puentes reports back on a recent discussion about Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 30/10 plan -- the idea to cram 30 years worth of transit investments into 10.
How Philistinism and Contempt For Urban Planning Scarred England's Crowded Cities
England is now the second most densely populated place in Europe, after Malta. New data shows the UK as a whole has roughly the same density as Germany. This indicates a concentration of population in particular places and underpopulation elsewhere.
Military's Newest Enemy: Wind Turbines
The U.S. Defense Department has become one of the largest hurdles for wind power projects, arguing that large wind turbines can cause interference with the military's communications technology.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
