Government / Politics

Traffic is expensive. This infographic from GOOD looks at how much congestion costs cities and what they are trying to do to cut down the traffic.

January 29, 2010 - Good

Twitter, iPhones, and new sites like SeeClickFix make it increasingly easy for citizens and governments to communicate. Along with newly available data sets, these "Gov 2.0" apps may signal a new era of active citizens and responsive governments.

January 29, 2010 - CNN

In one North Carolina county, the land development process -- from permitting to building plan submission to inspection -- is now organized under one electronic, online system.

January 28, 2010 - Government Technology

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are in Florida today to announce a funding package for a variety of high speed rail projects. In total, $7.9 billion in funding is being announced.

January 28, 2010 - The New York Times

2010 may turn out to be a landmark year for public transportation in the Atlanta metropolitan area, with legislation that could let municipalities levy sales tax increases to help fund transit projects.

January 28, 2010 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Increasing amounts of Americans are soccer players, and the parks and park planners in American cities are beginning to reflect the sport's growing popularity, according to this piece from the Regional Plan Association.

January 28, 2010 - Regional Plan Association

A huge boost for the CA High Speed Rail project will result from an injection of $2.25 billion from President Obama's $8 billion HSR stimulus funds, twice as much as any other project.

January 28, 2010 - Mercury News

The foreclosure crisis spreading across America has burdened cities and neighborhoods with value-draining vacancies and abandoned properties. To counteract the economic havoc they've caused, planners and policymakers must focus on restoring confidence in the market, according to neighborhood planning consultants Charles Buki and Elizabeth Humphrey Schilling.

January 28, 2010 - Charles Buki

A human rights group in Vancouver is hoping to distribute free tents to the city's homeless in an attempt to temporarily shelter the homeless and bring attention to the city's homelessness when it plays host to the Winter Olympics.

January 27, 2010 - The Tyee

In a region where public participation is often excluded from the planning process, urban planners are hosting a charrette in Abu Dhabi.

January 26, 2010 - Al Bawaba

BART's people-mover connection to the Oakland Airport is jeopardized by an FTA ruling that the agency failed to reach out to minorities, potentially denying the agency of $70 million in stimulus funds. Might the funds go to other transit needs?

January 26, 2010 - SF Gate - Oakland Blog

In this op-ed, CA state Senator Leland Yee (D-SF/San Mateo) discusses the result of his legislation to apply double traffic fines, as well as city street improvements, on two of the most dangerous roads in SF, 19th and Van Ness Aves.

January 25, 2010 - San Francisco Examiner

The recent election of a new mayor in a small town on the Japanese island of Okinawa has severely threatened plans to build a new U.S. military base in the town.

January 25, 2010 - The New York Times

Amanda Levete argues that the planning process in the U.K. should be taken out of the hands of government and public process and handed to a panel of qualified architects.

January 25, 2010 - Building

The Kelo decision of 2005 caused states across the US to think twice before using eminent domain. But not in New York, where the controversial strategy seems to be experiencing a renaissance.

January 25, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

The City of Chicago, in a much criticized move, recently privatized its parking enforcement. Stephen Goldsmith says the program should be celebrated instead of booed.

January 24, 2010 - Governing Magazine

The expense of properly carrying out recycling and trash programs is weighing on cash-strapped states. Government is pushing back, with new requirements mandating that manufacturers take some of the load.

January 22, 2010 - Miller-McCune

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has seen some dramatic decline over the past half century. Michael A. Stern, ASLA, LEED AP takes a look at the last 20 years of the city as it begins to rebound.

January 22, 2010 - ArchNewsNow

The U.S. Federal Government has released a new online tool to help in the collection of feedback and ideas from the general public.

January 22, 2010 - CNET

While Dubai's fantastical Burj Khalifa is mostly empty and development has ground to a halt, Abu Dhabi continues to develop - and smartly, says Philip Langdon.

January 21, 2010 - New Urban News