Mississippi
New Year's Day State Gas Tax Increases, Decreases, and What Lies Ahead
Pennsylvania, the state that had the highest gas tax last year, saw the highest gas tax increase of 7.9 cents per gallon, the final increment of a 2013 law. Michigan's 7.3 cents tax increase, signed into law in 2015, is the second largest increase.
More Towns Mimicking New Orleans and Allowing Public Drinking
It used to be that only New Orleans and Las Vegas allowed people to carry a drink outdoors and imbibe in public. Now cities all over the country, mostly in traditionally conservative states, are loosening their laws.
Controversial Clean Coal Plant is Subject of Investigative Journalism
Things have gone terribly wrong at Mississippi's Kemper County energy facility, a federally supported, $6.7 billion carbon capture and storage coal power plant that is now two years behind schedule and $4 billion over budget.
$10.6 Million Fine Proves Some Banks Are Still Redlining
A Mississippi-based bank will pay $10.6 million for discriminatory lending practices.
Road Projects Shut Down in New Jersey As Funds Run Out
A bill to replenish the state transportation trust fund by increasing the gas tax 23 cents per gallon stalled in the Senate because it would also cut $2 billion annually to the state's general fund.
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."
Op-Ed: More Domestic Migration Needed in the United States
An op-ed in the New York Times makes a cogent case for increasing movement between states for self-betterment, specifically from high unemployment states to states like New Hampshire and North Dakota, and what policy changes would encourage it.
Ten States Could Hike Gas Taxes this Year
With gas prices the lowest since 2009, ten state legislatures and governors consider raising state gas taxes, though many are accompanied by fiscally questionable tax shifts. Some tried and failed last year. All of the proposed increases are modest.
Louisiana, Gulf Coast Push for New Passenger Rail Service
A new passenger rail line between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is just one of the links being proposed along the Gulf Coast.
The Katrina Cottage Legacy
The New Urbanist Katrina Cottages initiative for the Gulf Coast appeared to be a failure but their legacy lives on in the SmartDwellings and in the Tiny House movement.
Hopes for Restoring New Orleans-Florida Amtrak Service Pinned on Transportation Bill
Included in the draft version of the DRIVE Act: funding to study the restoration of Amtrak's Sunset Limited route along the Gulf Coast until Hurricane Katrina.
What We Didn't Learn From Katrina
Cities are immensely complex self-organizing systems, not mere top-down designs—but they do need top-down interventions in strategic places. Unfortunately, we still have inadequate models and tools.
Restoring the First Cross Country Interstate in the Southern States*
Partly absorbed by 1-10 and party given over the ravages of time—the Old Spanish Trail was the first to highway to connect the East Coast to the West Coast through the southern states.
Record Environmental Settlement Reached in 2010 BP Gulf Oil Spill
While a judge must approve the historic $18.7 billion settlement reached July 2, the United States and the five Gulf States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas have agreed to the settlement, along with BP.
Greenprint 2015/2040 Plan Calls for 500 Miles of Greenways in the Memphis Region
A regional coalition has spent three years planning a network of greenspaces that will span in the Tri-State area surrounding Memphis, Tennessee. The Greenprint 2015/2040 plan was released to the public last week.
Good Design Sparks Rural Community Development
Now more than ever, creative professionals are turning their attention to community development. While this trend toward good design is exciting, it’s harder to find in rural areas. Here are a few ideas from the forefront of rural design.
Competition Addresses the Design Challenges of Placemaking in Rural Communities
In its annual competitive funding effort, the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) has selected four small towns and rural communities to host a two-and-a-half day rural design technical workshop.
Census: More Americans Living in 'Poverty Areas'
In the most recent analysis to come from a bounty of data releases this week from the U.S. Census, Governing examines the growth of poverty, especially the areas where it concentrates.
Have Planners Made the Gulf Coast Better Since Katrina?
In the eight years since Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Coast states have made great strides in adopting new visions for their cities and towns. A new report outlines the recovery's progress, pointing to successes in housing and transportation.
How Does the Health of Your State Rank?
Modern medicine is prolonging our lives while our lifestyles are shortening it - that paradox is the main finding of the 2012 America's Health Rankings that ranked Vermont as the nation's healthiest state with Louisiana and Mississippi tied for last.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
