Public Works

Aerial view of terminus of Los Angeles River and port infrastructure in Long Beach, California

Los Angeles County Initiates Effort to Advance Equity in Infrastructure

L.A. County Public Works has launched an initiative to center equity in all of its processes, programming, and services as it plans, designs, builds, and maintains modern infrastructure that uplifts all communities of the county.

June 7, 2023 - Los Angeles County Public Works

Crew in orange safety vests stand on roadway next to orange heavy equipment

Opinion: The Slippery Slope of Privatizing Public Works

The Biden administration is changing course on a century of policy in public works ownership and management, signaling a concerning shift toward privately owned, profit-driven utilities and other essential services.

May 12, 2023 - The New York Times

Colorado

Connecting Plans to the Water Supply

The city of Westminster, Colorado has grown from 10,000 in 1962 to 113,000 in the present day, ensuring water supply for the growing population by considering water efficiency in every zoning decision.

May 7, 2019 - CityLab

A bus next to the re-located light rail station at Denver's Union Station

Denver Could Create a New Transportation Department

Hoping to give more of a focus and priority to the issues of transportation, the mayor of Denver is proposing a reorganization of city departments.

July 12, 2017 - The Denver Post

Study: Local Roads in California 'At Risk' Due to Lack of Funding

A coalition of local governmental agencies and advocates released their 2016 report on the condition of local streets and roads in California, and they found dire underinvestment. The legislature has yet to convene a special session on funding.

October 27, 2016 - Capitol Weekly

Efforts to Increase Pedestrian Safety Take Hold in Nevada and Kentucky

With a new Governors Highway Safety Association report estimating that the number of pedestrian fatalities jumped 10 percent in 2015, the highest ever, we look at efforts in Nevada and Louisville, Ky. to increase pedestrian safety.

March 11, 2016 - Las Vegas Sun

Pedestrian Overpass

What's Wrong With Removing Sidewalks in the Name of Pedestrian Safety?

Broken Sidewalk analyzes an example of the kind of street design decisions continuing to encroach on pedestrian infrastructure around the country. The case study: Ninth Street in Louisville.

December 23, 2015 - Broken Sidewalk

Wastewater Treatment Plant to Produce Fuel for City Vehicles

With transportation the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in California, San Mateo will be the first city to reduce emissions by using biogas produced at its wastewater treatment plant for use in city vehicles.

December 21, 2015 - San Mateo Daily Journal

The Influence of Public Works on Gentrification

New research examines the role of public investments in gentrification.

September 3, 2015 - CityLab

On the Sudden Rise to Prominence of the Word 'Infrastructure'

At some point in the past 35 years, the word infrastructure became common in policy discussions and even in the common tongue. But why did we suddenly prefer the word "infrastructure" to other terms like "public works"?

August 28, 2015 - Governing

Why the Delay for Chicago's 35th Street Pedestrian Bridge?

Ten years ago, Chicago held a design competition for pedestrian bridges at five locations on the lakefront. As the projects have languished, so has improved access between neighborhoods like North Kenwood and Oakland to nearby Burnham Park.

May 9, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Public Water Works! to Grow Jobs, Protect the Environment

With a $600 billion investment gap facing the tap, citizens, organizations, and elected officials call for a renewed commitment to protect access to safe drinking water on World Water Day at Los Angeles City Hall.

April 2, 2012 - USC Annenberg Radio News

Top 2011 Design Milestones for the Public Good

Archinect's John Cary compiles a comprehensive list of most forward-thinking designs in 2011 that have impacted people's lives, and the way they interact with the built environment.

December 25, 2011 - Archinect

ARRA Misses the Ecological Mark

Hillary Brown argues that the infrastructure priorities of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act further the carbon-intensive status quo and miss an unprecedented opportunity to build innovative, green systems.

October 26, 2010 - Design Observer

What Europe Can Teach the U.S. about Infrastructure Banks

The European Investment Bank raised $80 billion for projects last year alone. Should the Obama’s proposed program adopt a similar model?

October 11, 2010 - Streetsblog

ARC Cancellation Signals Larger Woes

Paul Krugman bemoans the death of the Access to the Region's Core project. He says it is symptomatic of a national resistance to address critical infrastructure and economic challenges.

October 9, 2010 - The New York Times

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.

December 9, 2008 - The New York Times

Robert Moses: Good, Bad, or...?

The recent exhibitions on Robert Moses at the Museum of the City of New York, the Queens Museum of Art, and Columbia University have revived old debates about Robert Moses, most of which have boiled down to the question: when all is said and done, was he good or bad? When I visited the exhibitions, trying to figure out my own answer, I remembered my father’s favorite saying (lifted from Oedipus Rex): “Would you condemn me for that which made me great?"

April 10, 2007 - Anthony Weiss

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.