The Rockefeller Foundations EIB Challenge is putting a spotlight on an innovative new funding mechanism.
David Pendered reports that the city of Atlanta is throwing its hat into the ring for Environmental Impact Bond funding underwritten by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Atlanta is one of a dozen cities seeking funding from the EIB Challenge, which will eventually fund a total of $342,000 to underwrite Environmental Impact Bonds in two cities. "EIBs are part of the emerging green-bond industry that doubled to $95 billion in 2016, according to a report by bloomberg.com," explains Pendered. "The innovative element in EIBs is the notion that it reduces the financial risk to the government of installing green infrastructure."
The city of Atlanta's application for the EIB Challenge funding would improve the polluted Proctor Creek watershed, which drains much of the rain that falls on Downtown Atlanta.
FULL STORY: Atlanta may be among world’s first cities to use new financing tool for green infrastructure

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

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

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

Nevada Legislature Unanimously Passes Regional Rail Bill
If signed by the governor, the bill will create a task force aimed at developing a regional passenger rail system.

How Infrastructure Shapes Public Trust
A city engineer argues that planners must go beyond code compliance to ensure public infrastructure is truly accessible to all users.

Photos: In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues
We share images from six of the cities around the country where members of three national organizing networks took action on May 20 to protest cuts to federal housing funding and lift up local solutions.
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Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
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