Barack Obama
How Infrastructure Investment Became Political Fodder
Andrea Bernstein traces how, in four short years, partisan politics have infected discussions about investment in infrastructure.
U.S. Infrastructure Funding is a Bit Fuzzy
The newest U.S. stimulus proposal is aimed at improving infrastructure but could go farther, says Jonna McKone from TheCityFix.com.
The Return of Nuclear Power
Pres. Obama has come out in favor of developing more nuclear power plants, and the public is warming up to the idea because of the climate change benefits of switching from coal. Hendrik Hertzberg looks at the politics of atomic power.
Exploring Web 2.0 in Urban Planning
Last year I had the opportunity to teach a graduate course on "Web 2.0 for Policy and Planning" at the University of Southern California's School of Policy, Planning & Development. Although I am co-teaching a different class this year, I have updated my course website with a revised course syllabus and extensive reading list on Web 2.0 and planning, based on what I learned from teaching the course in Spring, 2009.
Obama on Urban Affairs
Via the White House, here are the President's opening remarks at yesterday's roundtable discussions with the Office of Urban Affairs and the Domestic Policy Council. He highlighted success stories in Denver, Kansas City, and Philadelphia.
Obama's High Speed Rail Plans
Neal Peirce looks at President Barack Obama's ambitious plans for high speed rail and the significant obstacles that stand in its way.
Is Obama's Urban Policy Office DOA?
During the campaign, Obama promised U.S. mayors that he'd create an Office of Urban Policy. But indications so far are that the office is facing a significant downgrade, writes Dayo Olopade.
2,000 Transportation Projects
That's how many projects the Obama administration claims to have launched with the stimulus money, countering detractors who argued that the funding couldn't be spent fast enough to have an impact.
Translating the Stimulus: What it Means for Energy
$16.8 billion of Pres. Obama's stimulus package is allocated to energy efficiency and renewable energy. Steve Coll of the New Yorker explains where the funding is going, and what it means.
Shovels Are In Motion, Says Obama
The President and V.P. addressed the Department of Transportation today, stating that the new investment in infrastructure "will create or save 150,000 jobs by the end of next year, most of them in the private sector."
Obama Seeks More Census Power
President Barack Obama is seeking greater control over the 2010 Census. This opinion piece from The Wall Street Journal looks at what it could mean for the upcoming count.
Where Will the Money Go?
Now that the $838 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed the Senate, where will the money go? Stimulus Watch has a breakdown of every project by state, and by type. Here are links to the transit, roads, energy, and housing projects.
Stimulus to Nowhere?
John Norquist, President and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism, believes that President Obama should reconsider committing stimulus funds to decades-old freeway expansion projects and take transportation policy in a new direction.
Obama Knows Jane Jacobs
Last summer in Toledo, former mayoral candidate Keith Wilkowski handed Barack Obama a book, saying it is the most important book about rebuilding cities. Obama responded, 'Is it Jane Jacobs?'
LaHood a 'Spending Superstar'
The Wall St. Journal calls new transportation secretary Ray LaHood the "secretary of earmarks", and one of the biggest spenders in Congress.
Suburbs Benefit From an Urban President, Too
In fact, says one planner, suburbs and exurbs can expect to see some of the biggest changes of all, at least from infrastructure and transportation funding.
How Will D.C. Cope with 4 Million Obama Fans?
Planners in Washington D.C. are bracing for the arrival of millions of visitors for President Obama's inauguration -- which they expect will overwhelm the parking supply and the public transit system.
Obama's Infrastructure Spending Could be a "Tragic Waste", Says Kunstler
James Kunstler believes that President-Elect Obama's bid to boost the economy through repairing infrastructure could be more usefully spent on rail and harbors.
Obama Announces Energy Team
Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, will be the President-Elect's pick for Secretary of Energy, and Carol Browner (formerly head of the EPA) will take on the newly created role of Energy Czar.
Obama Puts Focus on Public Works
President-elect Barack Obama has announced a promise to institute a broad-ranging package of building programs, from infrastructure to schools -- the nation's largest public works program since the post-war era.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
