Governor Andrew Cuomo, continuing a spree of infrastructure related initiatives, has proposed legislation that would expand his oversight of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Ryan Hutchins reports:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is moving forward with an aggressive effort to expand his reach at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, proposing as part of his state budget a new inspector general of his own choosing, as well as new latitude for the governor to name commissioners to the agency’s board.
The legislation is part of a larger ethics reform bill that arises from procurement scandals that "ensnared several members of [the governor's] inner circle" as well as Bridgegate, according to Hutchins.
Critics of the plan, however, are concerned about granting Cuomo additional power over the Port Authority. In addition to critics in the New Jersey State Legislature, academics have also chimed in opposition to the proposal. Hutchins quotes Jameson Doig, a professor at Princeton University and author of Empire on the Hudson. In Doig's on words, the proposed legislation, is "worse than anything Christie has done…"
FULL STORY: Cuomo pushes again for new powers at Port Authority
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association