Some of the effects of the Obama Administration will take years to appear, but a new book already begins the process of taking stock of the administration's efforts to support and improve cities.
"In 2008, Barack Obama ran for the presidency on a message of hope. And urban America felt it," according to an article by Tanvi Misra.
Obama had an urban pedigree, and they expected his presidency to usher in a new urban era in the United States. A new book, edited by James DeFillipis, takes stock of Obama's legacy as an advocate for cities while in the White House.
Misra interviews DeFillipis, who, in addition to writing the book Urban Policy in the Time of Obama, is an associate professor in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. The interview ranges from giving Obama's urban policies a grade (B-), discussions of public housing, the Obama Administration's reliance on public-private partnerships, the slippery nature of the term "urban," and a quick look forward to the Trump Administration.
Read the full story: Grading Obama's Urban Policy Legacy
Planetizen Week in Review: September 30, 2016
Welcome, President Obama, to the NIMBY wars.
Power Plants: A Win for the EPA
New rules from the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants survived an attempt by 25 Republican-led states to block their implementation while their case is litigated.
A Win for ‘Keep it in the Ground’
Coal mining in Wyoming will take a major hit as a result of a U.S. Department of Interior plan to cease future leasing of coal mines in the nation's most productive coal mining basin. The decision casts a spotlight on the presidential election.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority