When home values rise, the state constitution requires cuts to residential tax rates that severely impact less-developed areas.

A new report shows that, once again, a collision of two tax mandates in the Colorado state constitution will further reduce the funding available to rural districts for schools, fire departments, and other services.
Brian Eason of the The Denver Post quotes one lawmaker who, after hearing the latest forecast commented, “Thank you for this very disturbing analysis.”
The first issue at hand is the 1982 Gallagher Amendment, which mandates that residential property taxes can comprise only 45 percent of statewide property tax revenue, with commercial and industrial property making up the remaining 45 percent. (In 1982, Colorado homeowners paid significantly more in property taxes than did businesses.)
The second is the 1992 Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which requires voter approval of any increase in property taxes.
As a result of Colorado’s rapid development over the last decades, residential property values soared, and in order to maintain the ratio determined by Gallagher, tax rates on those properties have fallen. (Meanwhile, the tax rate on commercial properties has remained the same.)
The most significant problem, at the moment, is that “The Gallagher cuts have disparate effects in different parts of the state.”
Because residential property values in areas like the Front Range have soared over the last decades, those areas are still seeing an increase in revenue, but in rural areas, where property values are rising at much slower rates, revenues are way down. (The Colorado Fiscal Institute produced a very helpful video that makes sense of the whole thing.)
The already pronounced “urban-rural divide” will only be exacerbated by the next round of statewide property tax cuts in 2019.

The Unceremonious Death of a Freeway Expansion Project
The end of an Oregon freeway project didn't get much fanfare, but the victory is worth celebrating.

Converting Golf Courses to Housing Never as Easy as the Market Would Like
Thousands of golf courses have closed in recent years, but the obvious redevelopment opportunity represented by many defunct courses isn’t always easy to realize.

Houston To End Bike Share Program
Lacking the funding it needs to continue, Houston’s BCycle bike share system will end operations in the coming months.

FTA Announces Tribal Transit Program Grants
The agency awarded close to $10 million to 22 communities around the country for transit improvements.

Making Colorado’s Front Range Rail a Reality
Local leaders are scrambling to bring together the funding and political support to create new intercity rail service in the fast-growing region.

How College Campuses Fulfill an Urbanist Dream
Most college campuses in the United States are inherently walkable, mixing various uses with diverse housing options and transit networks.
Caltrans
Caltrans
Knoxville-Knox County Planning
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Washington University
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
Lassen County Planning and Building Services
City of San Carlos
National Capital Planning Commission
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.