Government / Politics
Revisiting Vermont: A COVID Update
PBS NewsHour investigates the surging coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Vermont which, along with Rhode Island, has 75% of its total population fully vaccinated, the nation's highest, as the U.S. appears to enter a winter surge.
Puget Sound Transportation Plan Fails To Meet Emissions Goals
A draft regional transportation plan for the Puget Sound region does not go far enough to significantly reduce emissions and meet climate goals.
Housing Policy Conflicts With Local Control in Maine
The state's proposal to increase housing density is raising concerns among city officials worried about losing local control over development in their cities.
New York City Mayor Goes Out With a (Covid Policy) Splash
Mayor Bill de Blasio's second term ends on New Year's Eve. On Dec. 6, he announced the nation's strictest COVID mandate: All workers in New York City must be at least partially vaccinated by Dec. 27. Did he consult with his successor, Eric Adams?
Seattle Weighs Protections for Mobile Home Parks
To protect a valuable source of affordable housing, Seattle's city council will consider creating a 'mobile home overlay district' that would preserve housing and regulate new development.
Lessons From Five Years of E-Scooters
As cities continue to adapt micromobility regulations to address new devices and technologies, what can we learn from Chicago's five years of e-scooter pilots?
Atlanta's Buckhead Plans to Secede Over Upzoning
One Atlanta neighborhood is campaigning to secede from the city as the battle over zoning reform heats up.
D.C. Passes Short-Term Rental Regulations
The District of Columbia has approved final regulations for short-term rentals like Airbnb that limit rentals to owner-operated units and cap vacation rentals at 90 days.
Biden Commits Federal Government to Carbon Neutrality
President Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday that aims to cut 65 percent of the government's carbon emissions by the end of this decade and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
Senate Will Vote to Repeal OSHA's Vax-or-Test COVID Rule
Senate Republicans will target the Biden administration's private employer vaccine-or-test mandate using a law they successfully employed during the beginning of the Trump administration to recall a slew of environmental regulations.
On Housing, Cities' Traditional Political Labels No Longer Apply
Historically liberal cities belie their supposed concern for human welfare by rejecting new development. Meanwhile, more conservative cities have seized the moment to become more progressive, innovative, and inclusive.
Assessing Prince George's County's Climate Action Plan
The Prince George's County draft Climate Action Plan includes ambitious goals and timetables, but falls short of recommended targets for emissions reductions in the transportation sector.
Swiss Vote to Retain COVID Mitigation Measures
A nationwide referendum held on Sunday, Nov. 28, on coronavirus measures enacted by the Swiss federal government, including the controversial Swiss Covid certificate (vaccination verification), passed with 62% of the vote.
Voluntary Collaboration for Adaptive Governance: The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact
This is an updated version of a blog post published at the Conversation by Karen Vella and William Butler. Both are associate professors at Queensland University of Technology and Florida State University, respectively.
Where Mayors Want to Spend Federal Aid
An annual survey reveals that mayors want to prioritize spending federal funding on homelessness, transportation, and social services.
Fire-Prone Communities Fight New Development
New development in small Colorado towns threatens to overwhelm fire evacuation resources, raising alarm among local residents.
Compulsory Vaccination in the Birthplace of Democracy
Unlike the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccination strategy that has largely been paused by federal judges, compulsory vaccinations have been approved by Greece's highest court. Mandates are passed by Parliament rather than by executive order.
Flight-Free Movement Grows in Europe
A burgeoning movement known as 'flight shame' calls on travelers to avoid air travel when possible as a method of fighting climate change.
Biden's 'Path Out of the Pandemic' Imperiled by Multiple Court Decisions
The vaccine mandate that applies to federal contractors included in President Biden's COVID plan announced in September to slow the Delta surge was halted by a federal judge in Kentucky. That's the third requirement to be paused, leaving only one.
Inequality Grows in Western Zoom Towns
As demand for housing grows, small Western towns are experiencing skyrocketing housing costs and rising displacement.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
