Large home builders are increasingly able and willing to bribe local governments to approve new greenfield developments.
With big money to be made in the nation's strong housing market, developers looking to get new projects approved are coming to local officials with their checkbooks in hand.
In a recent case in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., the town of Warrenton received $22 million dollars from Centex Homes in exchange for approving the construction of 300 new homes. While Centex positioned the development of clustered homes as "smart growth", the new homes, which will start at $850,000 and up, will likely attract workers from the capitol 40 minutes away.
FULL STORY: Sprawl bribery is beating smart growth

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

When Borders Blur: Regional Collaboration in Action
As regional challenges outgrow city boundaries, “When Borders Blur” explores how cross-jurisdictional collaboration can drive smarter, more resilient urban planning, sharing real-world lessons from thriving partnerships across North America.

Philadelphia Is Expanding its Network of Roundabouts
Roundabouts are widely shown to decrease traffic speed, reduce congestion, and improve efficiency.

Why Bike Lanes Are Good: An Explainer for the US Transportation Secretary
Sean Duffy says there’s no evidence that bike lanes have benefits. Streetsblog — and federal agencies’ own data — beg to differ.
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
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Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service