Planetizen rounded up all the pertinent results from local and state elections on November 8, 2017. The main theme of the day: voters continue to support local and state sources of infrastructure funding.
Land Use and Development
California
- Poway's Measure A loses big, owner closes course (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Novato, California, Urban Growth Boundary Continuation, Measure D (Ballotpedia)
- Windsor, California, Urban Grown Boundary Continuation, Measure H (Ballotpedia)
Colorado
- Denver Green Roof Initiative backers cautiously declare victory as measure holds a small-but-growing lead (The Denver Post)
Maine
- Close vote kills plan to allow Portland residents to block zoning changes (Portland Press Herald)
- Maine voters overwhelmingly defeat proposal for York County casino (Portland Press Herald)
- Voters turn down measure to make Portland first Maine city to cap rents (Portland Press Herald)
Michigan
- Detroiters ease pot shop restrictions (The Detroit News)
Infrastructure
Colorado
- Denver voters strongly approve $937 million bond package for roads, parks, libraries and cultural facilities (The Denver Post)
- Colorado Springs voters pass stormwater fee (KKTV)
- Voters overwhelmingly back regional tax for I-25 widening (The Gazette)
Georgia
- Penny tax sails through (Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News)
- Athens voters back transportation sales tax (Online Athens)
- DeKalb votes approve SPLOST, keep incumbent mayors (Dekalb Neighbor)
Maine
- Mainers pass $105 million transportation bond (BDN Maine)
Michigan
- Grand Rapids bus millage renewal passes by more than 8,000 votes (Michigan Radio)
- Fenton's charter amendment proposal goes down in flames (Tri-County Times)
Missouri
Ohio
- Allen County voters turn down RTA’s sales tax request (LimaOhio.com)
South Carolina
Texas
- Dallas County Schools Bus Agency To Be Abolished (CBS DFW)
- Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings lauds voters as $1B bond package garners overwhelming support (The Dallas Morning News)
- Highland Village voters approve bond for street, park improvements (The Leader)
Hat tip to Robert Puentes, who is cataloguing infrastructure related ballot measures on Twitter at #TransportVote.
Injecting Racial Equity into an Election Cycle in St. Louis
Ten St. Louis organizations worked together to pin down mayoral candidates on concrete questions about racial equity—but first they had come to consensus on what issues to focus on.
State Gubernatorial Elections Have Environmental Consequences
The environment and climate change may not be top issues in the nation's hotly contested gubernatorial contests next Tuesday, but their outcomes can cause policy changes. Take North Carolina and the election of Roy Cooper, a Democrat, two years ago.
Details of Denver's Voter-Approved $937 Million Bond Package
A long list of projects—from roads to projects to libraries and other cultural facilities—will benefit from a $937 million bond initiative approved by voters earlier this month in Denver.
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