Idaho

Idaho Governor Stands Against Using General Fund Money for Highway Expansion

Writing that a $320 million transportation finance bill "violates my user-pay, pay-as-you-go philosophy toward transportation funding," Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter explained why he allowed the bill to become law without his signature.

April 17, 2017 - Idaho Mountain Express

Downtown Boise

Bus or Streetcar? Boise Ponders a 'Circulator' Through Downtown

While what exact form it will take is uncertain, the idea of a circulator running a loop through Downtown Boise is gaining support.

March 19, 2017 - Boise Weekly

Downtown Boise

As Development Booms in Downtown Boise, Easy Parking Gets Tougher

The influx of new workers and residents in Downtown Boise has lead to a parking crunch, raising parking rates and leaving city officials searching for alternative solutions.

March 8, 2017 - Idaho Statesman

Boise, Idaho

Farmland Preservation a Hot Topic in Idaho's Most Populous County

As the city of Boise and surrounding communities in Ada County, Idaho continue to grow and sprawl outward, agricultural land in the county may become a thing of the past.

January 4, 2017 - Boise Weekly

Michigan the Latest to Preempt Municipalities from Banning Plastic Bags

Michigan has joined a small but growing list of states that have passed laws prohibiting municipalities from banning single-use plastic bags or charging for bags, as is done in California. Critics assail it as an 'attack on local control.'

January 2, 2017 - MLive

Oakland

Planetizen Week in Review: September 24, 2016

More than one city made big planning news this week. You only need two minutes and thirty seconds to find out more.

September 24, 2016 - Planetizen

Boise Greenbelt

Boise Completes Its Greenbelt

Decades in the making, Boise's 26-mile Greenbelt now spans the length of the city following completion of the last remaining one-mile segment.

September 22, 2016 - KIVI

Gas Pump

Wouldn't It be Nice if Legislators Were Rewarded for Voting to Increase the Gas Tax?

Surprisingly, legislators are rewarded for supporting new gas taxes: they get reelected, according to a new analysis by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. What's more, they overwhelmingly hail from red states.

September 9, 2016 - The Hill

Clear-Sky Flood

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."

June 11, 2016 - USA Today

Boise Idaho

Op Ed: 'What Would It Take to Get You to Ride The Bus?'

The shortcomings of American bus systems are not lost on transportation planners. The adage of "getting what you pay for" appears to be mostly true.

June 3, 2016 - The Idaho Statesman

Downtown Boise

Boise Tackles the Tough Question: Go Light Rail or Go Bus?

A new circulator system for Downtown Boise, Idaho is in the works, with the mayor gently throwing his support behind a light rail system. But questions over costs remain.

May 14, 2016 - The Idaho Statesman

Highway Guardrail

As the Speed Limit Goes Up, So Do the Costs

As a number of Western States raise their speed limits, the costs of road maintenance, environmental damage, and lost lives keeps going up.

May 9, 2016 - Wired

Boise: Transforming Transportation Won't Be Easy

Boise, Idaho recently released a draft transportation plan, called the Transportation Action Plan (TAP), which provides a road map to a modern, well-balanced transportation system.

March 28, 2016 - The Idaho Statesman

Industrial Chic—Shipping Container Homes

Innovative Idaho developer wants to create a subdivision using shipping containers that will be targeted at eco-conscious home buyers looking for new options, first-time home-buyers and empty-nesters with a sale price: $152,000.

February 20, 2016 - Idaho Statesman

Idaho Stop—Meet the California Stop

Similar to a local proposal by San Francisco cyclists to reduce priority for for ticketing cyclists for rolling through stop signs, a state senator hopes to do with state legislation for motorists making "California Stops" at red lights.

January 17, 2016 - San Mateo Daily Journal

How Planners Are Helping Build Healthy Food Infrastructure in Boise

The Idaho Plan4Health Coalition is exemplifying the role of planning in improving public health outcomes connected to healthy food and nutrition.

October 15, 2015 - Plan4Health

Transportation Formula: Increase Gas Tax, Then Fix Roads and Bridges

The Idaho Department of Transportation wasted no time in doing what they promised after the legislature passed a seven-cents gas tax and registration fee increase in April: repairing roads and bridges with the new funds the state split with cities.

October 9, 2015 - KTVB

Litigation of Boise Anti-Camping Ordinance Could Have National Implications

A lawsuit in Boise could decide the future of one policy response to homelessness—making it illegal to sleep in public.

August 10, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

State Gas Tax Changes Effective July 1: Six Up; One Down

Carl Davis, Research Director of the Institute on Tax and Economic Policy (ITEP) writes where gas taxes used to fund transportation infrastructure increased, if only by decimal points, and about the aberration—the six-cent plunge in California.

July 2, 2015 - Tax Justice Blog

Idaho Surprise: Gas Tax Hike Signed Into Law

The legislature passed the seven-cent increase on April 11, the final day of the legislative session. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed the bill on April 21, also increasing registration fees by $21. On April 1, the bill had been considered dead.

April 24, 2015 - Northwest Public Radio

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.

Top Books

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.