Planetizen Week in Review: August 1, 2016

Political junkies, map nerds, and transit fans all got plenty of big news to digest during the last week of July 2016.

1 minute read

August 1, 2016, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Hillary Clinton

Krista Kennell / Shutterstock

Welcome to the what seems like the first week in years without a national political convention for the national media to obsess over. This edition of the Planetizen Week in Review takes a look at the planning-related policy directives emerging from the Democratic National Convention, good transit news from Denver, bad transit news from New York City, an aggressive response to Vancouver, British Columbia's soaring housing costs, and a subtle change to Google Maps that got big reactions from all of us paying attention.

Monday, August 1, 2016 in Planetizen

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

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.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

US and Texas flags flying in front of Texas state capitol dome in Austin, Texas.

Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness

A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.

30 minutes ago - The Texas Tribune

Person in yellow safety suit and white helmet kneels to examine water samples outdoors on a lake shore.

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure

If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

1 hour ago - Inside Climate News

Close-up of white panel at top of school bus with "100% electric" black text.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation

California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

April 30 - California Air Resources Board