Government / Politics
Commentary: In the Age of Mass Deportation, Mobility is a Civil Rights Issue
How transportation networks support — or impede — immigration enforcement systems.
Missing the Games? For 20 Years, Town Planning Was an Olympic Sport.
In the first half of the 20th century, the Olympic games actually had a medal competition for town planning.
Judge Rules to Keep NYC Congestion Pricing, Ending Trump's Legal Challenge
The decision likely deals a fatal blow to efforts to end the program, but the Trump administration says it will explore other avenues for reversing the congestion pricing scheme.
February Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
Transit agencies like BART and TriMet face lingering budget shortfalls, forcing major service cuts and layoffs, while federal plans to ban fare-free transit throw a wrench in NYC Mayor Mamdani’s proposal to make the city’s buses ‘fast and free.’
Denver Cut Unsheltered Homelessness Almost in Half Even as Unhoused Population Grows
While the total number of Denver residents without permanent housing is growing, the city has leveraged its resources to quickly create over 1,000 new emergency shelter beds.
Alysa Liu's Oakland Training Center Highlights the Importance of California's Defunded Redevelopment Agencies
The financial and legal ecosystem that led to the creation of the Oakland Ice Center no longer exists after California dissolved its state redevelopment agencies.
Review: Why Nothing Works
In “Why Nothing Works,” Marc Dunkelman argues that America’s political gridlock stems from an internal progressive conflict between Hamiltonian centralized efficiency and Jeffersonian individualized safeguards.
San Jose Moves to Rein in Flock Cameras, Joining in Backlash Amid Privacy Concerns
The city’s police chief is asking to limit the company’s data retention and sharing abilities.
Mamdani’s Budget Fails to Expand Open Streets, Breaking Campaign Promise
The proposed budget allocates $2 million to Summer Streets and Open Streets, less than the $2.1 million allocated by the Adams administration last year.
Silicon Valley City Expels Automated License Plate Cameras Over Surveillance Fears
Mountain View, California voted to end their contract with Flock after residents protested the automated license plate readers.
Austin Removes 3 Decorative Crosswalks After Feds Shut Down Safety Study
The crosswalks, two of which were painted with rainbow colors, were part of a safety study canceled by the FHWA in November.
Almost Half of US Roads are Locally Owned, but Receive Just 16% of Federal Funds. Local Leaders Want That to Change.
A coalition of state and local officials is calling on Congress to change how federal transportation funds are allocated to give local governments more control.
Mamdani Criticized for Continuing Homeless Sweeps
The mayor previously pledged to end the practice of clearing unhoused encampments, calling prior mayor Adams’ strategy a failure.
Report: LA Construction Permits Fell 40% After ‘Mansion Tax’
New housing permits fell sharply for both single-family homes and multifamily buildings after the city enacted a tax on property sales over $5 million.
DHS Waived 28 Environmental and Historic Protection Laws to Expedite Building of South Texas Border Wall
The barrier would run through Big Bend National Park, raising alarms among environmentalists who say it will harm wildlife in the region.
Trump’s Canada Bridge Threat Could Kill a Rare International Bikeway
The President says he won’t allow the new Gordie Howe International Bridge to open “until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given” Canada.
Dear Trump: the Future Belongs to the Efficient
Trump abandoned climate protection goals claiming that cheap fossil fuel helps consumers and the economy. A mobility-focused analysis shows that he is wrong: resource efficiency is the key to health, economic success and happiness.
LA Considers Reviving Zoning Rule That Would Prohibit ICE Facilities for Children
A 2019 proposal would bar private detention facilities from contracting with federal agencies to detain minors.
USDOT Wants to Require 100% American-made Materials for EV Charging Stations
The proposal comes after a judge ruled against the agency’s attempt to rescind federal funds for electric car charging projects.
Oakland Mayor, City Council Offer ‘Radically Different’ Plans for Reducing Homelessness
Mayor Barbara Lee wants to reduce encampment sweeps and focus on improving sanitation while city council members want to increase enforcement, particularly against illegally parked RVs.
Pagination
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
planning NEXT
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello