Government / Politics
Europe's 'Capital of Sleep' Extends Party Hours
After being accused of being party-unfriendly, Paris and other French cities have been officially allowed to keep their dance clubs open as late as 7 a.m.
The New Bay Bridge, In-Depth
SF Public Press and McSweeney's Panorama newspaper bring a series of in-depth reports on the construction of the new Bay Bridge, focusing on why the project has become so expensive.
Marin TOD Planning: Drop The 'D'
Marin County, long known for its environmental awareness, is concerned about anything that is "growth inducing", and that certainly includes the new SMART passenger rail system, approved by the voters in November, that will serve Sonoma and Marin.
Urban Data: The Second City
Looking at the city of Chicago and how it should approach the future, John Tolva writes about the potential for tapping into city data and embracing the "second city" it creates.
Ag Secretary Concerned Over Farms-to-Forests Conversion
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has ordered the revision of a forecasting model related to congressional climate legislation that makes the conversion of farmland to forests more lucrative than producing food.
Employer-Based Trip Reduction Rule Adopted By California Air District
Air pollution rules recently passed in California seek to change the way workers get to their jobs. While solo commuters won't be forced out of their cars, businesses must choose from a selection of strategies aimed to do just that.
Denver Nudging Locals Towards Electric Cars
This piece from Grist looks at electric-vehicle infrastructure in Denver, which may be a model for other cities looking to encourage the purchase and use of electric vehicles.
North Carolina Requests $5 Billion for High Speed Rail
North Carolina is throwing its hat into the high-speed rail funding ring, requesting $5 billion of the $8 billion in stimulus funds the federal government has pledged to high-speed rail projects. Environmental reviews are almost complete.
Fighting Drought in California
Three years into a statewide drought, California officials have taken drastic steps to reduce water use in cities and farms. 60 Minutes looks at the drought and efforts to combat the water shortage.
Metro Portland's Internal Growth Dilemma
The three counties in the Portland Metropolitan area are at odds about what parts of the region should and should not be protected by urban growth boundaries.
Disconnected from Society? Gated Communities: Their Lifestyle versus Urban Governance
Peer Smets (VU University Amsterdam) investigates the socio-cultural impacts of specific patterns of urban segregation (gated communities) on local urban politics and urban governance.
Freeway Fighter Dies
Peter Craig, a lawyer that was pivotal in fighting a proposal to bisect Washington, D.C. with interstate highways, died last month. The Washington Post looks at his legacy.
Gated Communities Not Safer, Say Police
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief stated in a public meeting that their evidence shows that the gated communities in the area are not statistically any freer of crime than non-gated ones.
Friday Funny - Socialized Highways
Americans are shocked to discover that the country's highways are subsidized by Big Government at the taxpayer's expense.
Federal Bills To Provide Billions For Transportation Working Through Congress
The jobs and defense bills - both of which will provide much needed money for transportation projects while extending the current transportation authorization law (SAFETEA-LU) through Sept. 2010, are working there way to the President's desk.
Federal Grants Make Taxis More Accessible
A new federal grant program is enabling private car and taxi companies in cities across the country to buy new handicapped-accessible cars for their fleets.
The Infrastructural Divide
Infrastructure spending is becoming a dividing issue amongst political factions in America, according to this piece from Wired.
Northeast Shut Out From High Speed Rail Money
The Northeast corridor has effectively been shut out from receiving any federal high speed rail stimulus dollars due to tight environmental review policies.
Dismissing 'Utilitarian' Building May Hurt Ottawa
Plans to quickly rebuild the historic Lansdowne Park in Ottawa instead of spending time on a design competition have spurred hot controversy in the city. Architecture critic Christopher Hume says the fast approach is bad for the project and the city.
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)
