Government / Politics

New Jersey Planner Facing Corruption Charges

Jersey City senior planning aide Guy Catrillo has been charged with attempted extortion by the FBI as part of a broad corruption sting in the state.

July 24, 2009 - Jersey City Independent

Poticha Appointed to HUD Position

Shelley Poticha, President and CEO of Reconnecting America and past executive director of the Congress for New Urbanism, has been appointed Senior Advisor for Sustainable Housing and Communities at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

July 24, 2009 - Reconnecting America

Sabotaging the Smart Grid

James Surowiecki argues that state governments are sabotaging the economic recovery, and simultaneously sinking the creation of a smart energy grid.

July 24, 2009 - The New Yorker

Tracking Metropolitan Unemployment

A recent report from The Brookings Institution examines unemployment trends in the urban and suburban areas of the top 100 metropolitan areas in the U.S., mainly by looking at the demand for "safety net" services.

July 24, 2009 - The Brookings Institution

Three Year Deadline to Find New Water for Georgia

The drama over water between Florida, Alabama and Georgia is heating up, as a U.S. District Court ruled recently that Georgia's withdrawals from Lake Lanier are illegal. It's going to have to find a new source of water -- and inter-state cooperation.

July 24, 2009 - Associated Press

Energy Secretary Steven Chu Entertains Daily Show's Jon Stewart

While the Comedy Show's Jon Stewart can't get too excited about “Cap & Trade,” Secretary of Energy Steven Chu does his best to explain the importance of the Waxman-Markey climate legislation to him.

July 23, 2009 - The Daily Show

Solving Scarce Parking With 'Benefit Districts'

Transportation planners in San Francisco are proposing "parking benefit districts" where residents control pricing and boundaries to make parking easier in the congested city.

July 23, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

HUD Community Development Fund Down 34% In Proposed Fed. Budget

While HUD's budget has decreased by 4%, the Federal Railroad Administration is up 35%. This is just one of the revelations to be found in this interactive graphic of the Obama Administration's proposed federal budget for 2010.

July 23, 2009 - wallstats.com

Stimulus Projects Bring Delays to Nation's Roads

Thousands of stimulus-funded transportation projects are underway this summer, creating thousands of delays on the nation's roads.

July 22, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Charging Cyclists to Build Bike Infrastructure

Officials in Washington's Clark County are considering a plan to enact an annual fee for bicyclists to fund bike-related infrastructure.

July 22, 2009 - The Columbian

Open City Data, But How Much?

Opening city data to the public was a relatively new idea when the District of Columbia began publishing its data streams online recently. As applications using the data developed, some in the District got a little weary of the idea.

July 22, 2009 - Washington Monthly

Banning Billboards

The city of El Paso, Texas, considers whether to become the latest of several cities to impose new restrictions on billboards that amounts to a ban on future construction.

July 22, 2009 - El Paso Times

Study Showing Danger of Cellphone Driving Buried

The former head of the NHTSA has admitted that he was encouraged to bury the results of a study showing the mounting risk of cellphone use by drivers. The study is being released today under a Freedom of Information Act request.

July 21, 2009 - The New York Times

Lose Lawn, Gain Money

Cities in the Southwest are drying up. With less water to go around, water-intensive plantings like vast lawns are becoming an environmental faux pas. Now some cities are compensating residents for getting rid of them.

July 21, 2009 - GreenBiz

Police Checkpoints Violate Rights to Public Access

The city of Washington, D.C. learns its police checkpoints aimed at reducing crime in hot spots are unconstitutional.

July 20, 2009 - Washington Post

Oberstar Predicts The Future of Transportation

In this radio interview covering high speed rail, streetcars, bicycling, and paying for the proposed $500 billion transportation bill, Chairman Oberstar of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee discusses the future of transportation.

July 20, 2009 - Living on Earth

Don't Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor?

New studies rank cities based on the extent to which they "criminalize homelessness."

July 20, 2009 - NPR

Middle East Choking as Euphrates Shrinks

Water policies in Syria and Turkey are draining the Euphrates River dry, and neighboring Iraq is feeling all the hurt from it.

July 20, 2009 - The New York Times

Inching Towards Graywater Reuse in Oregon

Legislators in Oregon are making moves to allow residents to reuse graywater.

July 20, 2009 - The Statesman Journal

Prince Charles vs. the Architects

A dust-up between architects and the Prince of Wales over a speech and a £1b development is bringing the age-old battle between traditional and modern architecture to a head. Managing editor Tim Halbur summarizes the news.

July 20, 2009 - Tim Halbur

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.