Government / Politics

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer says that as a result of outmoded industrial and funding models, state governments are facing grave financial problems.

March 23, 2009 - Slate

This piece from Robert E. Lang and Lawrence Levy calls for President Barack Obama to include suburban voices in his administration's policy discussions about urban issues.

March 23, 2009 - Citiwire

A new master plan for New Orleans has been released. Controversy is expected on the highly anticipated plan as public input is gathered.

March 23, 2009 - New Orleans Times Picayune

March 23, 2009 - Roberta Brandes Gratz

Smart rates that reflect the variability of energy demand will be an essential aspect of smart electricity grid, according to experts. To get there, states will have to make some changes.

March 22, 2009 - Stateline

Neal Peirce looks at the daunting challenges facing the new White House Office of Urban Affairs.

March 22, 2009 - Citiwire

Planetizen blogger Rob Goodspeed looks back to America's past to find examples of effective national planning that could be applied today.

March 21, 2009 - The Goodspeed Update

The market for recyclables has taken a sharp nosedive in recent months, challenging cities' ability to provide recycling services.

March 21, 2009 - CNN

Officials in North Texas showed significant support yesterday for legislation to raise money for billions of dollars in road and rail improvements.

March 20, 2009 - The Star-Telegram

Duke Energy hopes to tap $3.4 billion of stimulus funds to build the nation's first clean coal plant, burning the coal in a gaseous form and storing the CO2 emissions. It already has received federal funds to build the $2.35 coal power plant in IN.

March 20, 2009 - The New York Times: Energy & Environment

"Blueprint America" looks at declining public transit subsidies and resulting transit service cuts. The video and report follows two East Bay commuters on suburban bus, BART; the transit agency meeting where bus service is reduced; MUNI LRT footage.

March 20, 2009 - PBS-The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

Nine-month study commissioned by President Nicolas Sarkozy aims to transform Paris and its surrounding suburbs into the first sustainable “post-Kyoto" city.

March 19, 2009 - The New York Times

In the next few months, the Dutch capital will make numerous changes to make its infrastructure greener. With the help of private companies like Cisco and IBM, Amsterdam is closer to becoming a "smart city" than any other in Europe.

March 19, 2009 - BusinessWeek

The city of Waco, Texas, imposes limits on new billboards--hoping to reduce its overall inventory with a "cap and replace" strategy.

March 19, 2009 - News 8 Austin

Have high-speed rail stimulus funds put us any closer to technology like mag-lev? A long record of underfunding makes many of such projects shovel-unready, but hopes are still high.

March 19, 2009 - Miller-McCune

Envisioning a form of government more efficient to strategically invest scarce local, state and federal dollars is at the heart of such a proposal.

March 19, 2009 - Albany

Colorado law prohibits the collection of rainwater, but urban farmers, environmentally-conscious homeowners, and even developers are catching on to its benefits and building momentum for the legalization of rainwater harvesting.

March 19, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

The economic downturn and burst of the real estate bubble have thrown a wrench into New York City's broad plans for redevelopment and environmental redesign. This piece looks at what lies ahead for the city.

March 19, 2009 - The New York Times

March 19, 2009 - Judy Chang

President Obama has promised to give cities a new image, one as the engines that drive the economy and whose issues are intertwined with those of the suburbs. This article looks at some of the big ideas shaping the new city.

March 18, 2009 - Architect Magazine