Government / Politics
Texas Sets The Nation's Top Speed Limit
A 521-mile stretch of I-10 in Texas may be heaven for speed demons but hell for the volunteer ambulance service in Hudspeth County. In May, the speed limit was raised to 80 mph, the nation's highest.
Regulatory Takings Or Eminent Domain?
Property rights initiatives in four western states are hoping to draw in support from voters afraid of the spectre of eminent domain. But many see this as an inaccurate ploy.
Open Space, Growth, And Parks On Six Bay Area County Ballots
A ballot measure restricting growth on ranchland and hillsides in Santa Clara County is the most polarizing of the six county and two city measures that affect open space, parks, developments and urban growth boundaries.
Starchitect Fantasies Come True In Astana, Kazakhstan
A 203-foot pyramid, designed by British architect Lord Foster, is only one example of over-the-top urban design in Kazakhstan's remote capital city.
How Environmentalists Can Talk To Evangelicals
An interview with J. Matthew Sleeth, evangelical environmentalist and author.
Maglev Is A Hard Sale In California
A California developer is pushing proposals for high-speed magnetic levitation trains. He's hoping private enterprise will help make the costly venture more attractive to state and regional governments.
Property Wrongs: Lessons from Oregon
Report by Seattle-based Sightline Institute documents a growing backlash against "property rights" initiatives in Oregon communities deeply affected by Oregon's Measure 37 and implications for western states.
Greenspan Joins Movement Advocating Gas Tax Increases
Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve for two decades, is the latest Republican economist to join a small academic movement to increase gas taxes to address market imperfections so as to reduce energy consumption.
Locals Want Role In Pakistan's Quake Reconstruction
A year after an earthquake killed 73,000, rural leaders say they need a greater voice in rebuilding.
American Christianity Embracing Environmentalism
"To conservative Christians, environmentalism was a dirty word -- it stank of paganism, of interference with the free market, of the sixties. Meanwhile, many environmentalists were more secular than the American norm, and often infected with the notion spread by the historian Lynn White in his famous 1967 essay, "The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis," that Christianity lay at the root of ecological devastation. Everyone, in short, was scared of everyone else. But there were a few lights starting to shine in that gloom."
Planning On The Ballot
The Kelo decision spurs ballot measures to restrict eminent domain and "regulatory takings".
Planning Commissioners Serving Developers In Palm Beach
This opinion piece from the Palm Beach Post accuses the county's planning commissioners of bowing to the desires of developers and showing little concern for the way the 'planned' land is to be used.
India's Special Economic Zones Plan Runs Into Opposition
Shenzhen and Pudong (near Hong Kong and Shanghai respectively) were developed as Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Now India's plans to fast-tract and focus such development into designated areas have run into opposition from diverse sectors like India's left.
'Is God Green?': Evangelicals And The Environment
Legendary journalist Bill Moyers on the growing environmental consciousness of conservative evangelical Christians.
11 States To Vote On Challenging Kelo
Eleven states have initiatives on their ballots this fall that could go against 2005's Supreme Court eminent domain decision in the case of Kelo v. New London.
Columnist Wants Honesty From Planners, Not A T-Shirt
Urbanism critic Trevor Boddy of Toronto's Globe and Mail is upset with the city planners who significantly changed their plans for his neighborhood without public input. He says the town hall meeting before the decision was all fluff.
US Cities, Architects Promote Green Development
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and cities such as Chicago are undertaking innovative initiatives to reduce energy use and combat global warming.
The Long Planning Process On The Gulf Coast
This article from Governing Magazine looks at the planning process along the Gulf Coast as cities and towns look to rebuild, but struggle to decide what to rebuild into.
Will U.S. Support Widescale Congestion Pricing?
Is congestion pricing at a tipping point in the US? Should we begin converting HOV lanes to toll lanes? Dr. Peter Gordon and Bumsoo Lee review recent research on the topic and offer their views.
Journal Says White House Censored Hurricane Report
The journal Nature alleges that the Bush administration tried to block a report that linked global warming is contributing to the stronger hurricanes.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
