Infrastructure
State Gas Tax Changes Effective July 1: Six Up; One Down
Carl Davis, Research Director of the Institute on Tax and Economic Policy (ITEP) writes where gas taxes used to fund transportation infrastructure increased, if only by decimal points, and about the aberration—the six-cent plunge in California.
Should City Planners Worry About Water Supply?
It’s a big question being tackled by land use planners and water providers in Colorado, where the traditional disconnect between water realities and land use decisions precludes a sustainable balance between water supply and urban growth.
Controversy Emerges Over Chicago's Polka Dot Intersection
Local residents are upset with the effects of the placemaking installment in Chicago, opened this spring—namely slower traffic and a polka dot color scheme. An article in DNAinfo points out that slowing traffic was kind of the point.
12-Cent Gas Tax Increase Deal in Washington State
The Associated Press reports that while the exact details of the compromise plan that involve an 11.9-cent gas tax increase have yet to be released, the deal affects Gov. Jay Inslee's proposed low carbon fuel standard.
Transportation Spending and Taxing Considered by Key Senate Committee
When Congress returns from the July 4 recess, they will have less than four weeks to pass and fund a transportation bill—be it for six years, as desired by transportation advocates, or less, as Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch prefers.
Fort Worth Wants Residents to Live Longer
The Texas city is the largest municipality so far to sign onto the Blue Zones Project, an initiative for improving longevity. In a nutshell, Blue Zones wants to make healthy choices the easy ones.
Op-Ed: Maryland Governor Is No Friend to Transit
According to this editorial, Governor Larry Hogan's decision to halt a planned $2.9 billion light rail line betrays a politically-motivated preference for roads.
Phoenix Mayor Advocates Self-Reliance Due to Federal Gridlock
Frustrated with Congress' inability to fund a six-year transportation bill, Mayor Greg Stanton is backing an August sales tax measure to expand light rail. Stanton also discusses climate change and water rights in the article and accompanying videos
Op-Ed: Streetcars Should Actually Serve Locals
While they're currently in vogue, streetcars are only worthwhile if they can be a viable option for local residents. Unfortunately, this is rarely how the systems are designed.
Houten, Netherlands: Where Cars and Bikes Coexist
Well-known in transportation planning circles, Houten's suburban multi-modality can be found almost nowhere else. Perimeter ring roads, train access, and bike-friendly features have cut car trips down to 44 percent.
Debate Over Proposed Utica Avenue Subway Line
One of the suggestions in Mayor Bill de Blasio's OneNYC citywide plan is nothing new: an oft-proposed subway extension down Utica Avenue in Brooklyn. Some question whether the area's relatively low density warrants such an expense.
Urban Living as a Quadriplegic
Peter Apps, a quadriplegic for the past nine years, shares insight into how he evaluates the mobility and access of cities.
Downtown Pittsburgh Stakeholders Pitch Shared Streets
It's an early idea, but Pittsburgh, with support from transportation planners and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, could be the next U.S. city to consider the shared streets concept.
Toronto's New Complete Street: For Everyone, By Everyone
A complete streets makeover for a stretch of Queens Quay in Toronto earns high praise.
Two New Ambitious Stormwater Capture Plans Proposed for Los Angeles
The state of California, along with county and city officials, have taken several steps forward on plans and projects that could help Los Angeles wean itself from imported water.
ReBuild Houston Lawsuit Threatens Road Repair Projects
If a controversial fee fails the scrutiny of the state's courts, roads around the city will suffer the consequences.
Big Challenges Ahead for Chicago's O'Hare Airport
After spending $10 billion since 2005 on capital improvements, Chicago's O'Hare is still losing business to competitors along with the battle of public opinion.
Inflation, not Fuel Efficiency, Is Main Flaw of Gas Tax
Yes, vehicles have become more fuel efficient, but a just-released report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows that inflation is 3.5 times more responsible for the decline in the purchasing power of the gas tax.
Senate Committee Will 'DRIVE' Transportation Reauthorization
The Senate's DRIVE Act is shaping up to be the first six-year transportation reauthorization bill since 2009. Notwithstanding the acronym, it's not all that bad, writes Tanya Snyder of Streetsblog USA. Finding funding for it is another story.
A Small Hike in Oregon Gas Tax to Come at High Environmental Cost
Oregon may end its low carbon fuel standard, one of two in the nation, to increase the gas tax by four cents and implement a bevy of clean fuel alternatives to replace the three-month-old clean fuels program.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
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
