Iowa
Only Three Cities Pass the 'Trilemma' Test
Good jobs, affordable housing, and quality of life rarely come in a total package. In fact, according to new analysis from the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, only three cities in the United States combine all three.
Welcome to a Changed Climate: It Even Floods When it's Sunny
A new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documents the increasing frequency of nuisance floods and "clear-sky flooding."
When a 3-Foot Clearance for Passing a Cyclist Is Not Enough
Sharrows and 3-foot passing laws are meant to make biking safer in streets in the absence of bike lanes. Bike activists in Iowa want to take safety a step further by requiring motorists to move to another lane, just as they would if passing a car.
Reinventing Des Moines
Fairly or unfairly, Des Moines has a solid reputation as one of the nation's least interesting cities. But unbeknownst to the rest of us, this quiet working town might become the Midwest's answer to Austin, Texas.
Iowa Caucus Results: Cruz wins, Ethanol Mandate Loses
The only major candidate, Democrat or Republican, to call for an end to the contentious ethanol mandate won the Republican caucus, clearly beating Donald Trump. That could doom what many even in Iowa, among even some farmers, call a boondoggle.
What's Wrong With the Ethanol Mandate?
A former EPA official makes the case in a New York Times op-ed that the ethanol mandate, a major issue in Monday's presidential caucus in Iowa, the nation's top corn producer, is implemented so poorly that it is not benefiting the environment.
Advocating for Planning When Presidential Campaigns Come to Town
All eyes are on Iowa's caucuses today, but presidential campaigns will be touring communities all over the country for months. The APA wants planners to be ready to explain the importance of planning when such rare opportunities arise.
Utah's New Years Day Surprise: Nickel Gas and Diesel Tax Increase
The fuel tax increases in the Beehive State by 4.9 cents on Friday. But don't count on gas prices increasing. Not only are prices dropping due to plummeting crude oil prices, but service station owners may be reluctant to pass on the increase.
Iowa DOT Chief Takes Novel Approach to Transportation Infrastructure
The strategy of Iowa's Department of Transportation chief, Paul Trombino III, for maintaining the state's "25,000 bridges, 114,000 miles of roadway, and more than 4,000 miles of rail" is not to do so. In a word, "shrinkage" is part of the solution.
Guidebook: Lowering Barriers to Urban Farming
Urban agriculture has long been a staple of sustainable urbanism—in theory. Can policy changes help it become much more than that? This guidebook offers tactics and policies that planners can use to promote urban farms.
12 Maps to Explain the Midwest
Aaron Renn scours the Internet to find 12 maps that attempt to do the impossible: define the geographic and cultural expanse known as the American Midwest.
The Top 10 Cities for Millennial Homebuyers—Starting With Des Moines
A list of cities with the highest percentage of homebuyers described by the category of Millennial is conspicuously absent of expensive, coastal cities.
Renewable Diesel Gets Huge Boost from UPS
Renewable diesel, a biofuel that differs from biodiesel by the feedstock used and its chemical makeup, making it indistinguishable from petrodiesel, is a small but growing industry. The announcement from UPS was welcome news for three companies.
Missouri Shows How Not to Expand Highways, Though Unintentionally
The Missouri Department of Transportation will adhere strictly to a "fix it" (as opposed to "fix-it-first") policy for the next five years, because there are no funds for roadway expansion.
Iowa DOT Head Predicts Contraction for State's Highway System
When the director of transportation for the state of Iowa admits that the highway system is overbuilt, Charles Marohn asks the question: which of the 49 remaining DOT heads will also speak honestly about their systems?
Planning in a Rural County
The rural county of Story in Iowa, located to the north of Des Moines, is launching a planning process that will set a 20-year planning agenda for the county's 90,000 residents.
Increase Gas Tax—Fund Highway Expansions
While some states are cutting back on transportation expenditures as funds run short, Iowa is not one of them, having passed a 10-cent gas tax increase that took effect March 1. New highway expansions are funded in addition to "fix it first."
Omaha Redefines Transit with High Frequency Bus Service
Omaha sets out to prove that strong transit isn't just "a Portland thing or a New York thing."
Gas Tax Hike Showdown Headed to Nebraska
Strong leadership from the governor may be the most important factor in passing state gas tax increases. But what happens when the governor opposes increasing the gas tax and the legislature supports it? Nebraska is about to find out.
The First Four Months of 2015 State Gas Tax Increases
Transportation for America makes it easy to keep track of the seven states that have passed legislation to raise, or stem the fall of, gas tax revenue, with an in-depth look at how the first state, Iowa, increased fuel taxes.
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
