New Jersey
People usually plant bamboo as a privacy screen, but it can quickly turn into an invasive nightmare for everyone else. Cities around New Jersey are passing regulations that allow the removal of bamboo if it gets out of hand.
North Jersey
America's freedoms allow Americans the right to complain, vociferously, about things like a planned disc golf course.
The Record
Recent news reports have highlighted the low number of federally-funded affordable housing projects that are built in high-opportunity areas, but an examination has found that strategic allocation changes are having a beneficial effect in New Jersey.
Shelterforce/Rooflines
A proposed mosque in Bernards Township will move forward, after the DOJ sued the town for using zoning ordinances to undermine Muslims' religious freedom.
The Atlantic
States and cities are reacting to President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement on Thursday. Three states formed the U.S. Climate Alliance; by Monday, it had grown to 13. Initially 30 mayors signed in support; it's now over 200.
Planetizen
If you needed another reason to provide safe routes for walking around schools, see the results of the Walking Classroom—on display in New Jersey and around the country.
NorthJersey.com
The only state where fuel cell electric vehicles can be leased is California where 30 hydrogen refueling stations exist now, with 100 planned to be in operation by 2020. Almost no public refueling stations exist elsewhere, but that's about to change.
The New York Times
One of the East Coast's most conspicuous signs of the Great Recession is finally turning itself around.
NorthJersey.com
A story about how a simple proposal, made by a resident, produced results in the New Jersey borough of Paramus.
NorthJersey.com
Seeing "No Matter Where You're From" signs in liberal-leaning towns makes me both smile and cringe. Why? Because I know the tolerant message belies the real feelings many have towards neighbors, not from other countries, but "other" neighborhoods.
Shelterforce/Rooflines
Planning and construction for the new Amtrak Gateway tunnels unders the Hudson River and the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway could grind to a halt under President Trump's proposed budget that substantially cuts capital grants programs.
The New York Times
New data from the U.S. Census and Empire Center shows that for the first time in a decade, the Empire State lost population. Furthermore, last year only two upstate counties had more residents arrive from other states than leave.
New York Post
N.J. Gov. Chris Christie was never charged in the scandal that shut down access to the nation's busiest bridge for three days in September 2013 for political retribution. His aide and an appointment to the Port Authority were sentenced to prison.
The New York Times
The report recommends making displacement prevention a more central component of land-use policy.
The Architect's Newspaper
Bayonne, New Jersey doesn't currently have a mosque, after a heated six-hour zoning meeting officials have rejected an application to build one.
WNYC
Governor Andrew Cuomo, continuing a spree of infrastructure related initiatives, has proposed legislation that would expand his oversight of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Politico New York
The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) has prohibited local municipalities from painting a blue line down the middle of streets near police stations. State and local governments are pushing back, saying the prohibition "defies common sense."
The Record
The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced another round of Choice Neighborhood grants in December, awarding five communities a total of $132 million in grant funding.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
A report from the Regional Plan Association maps out what might happen under 1, 3, and 6 feet of sea level rise. In the worst cases, several dense and populated regions are affected.
RPA Lab
The New Jersey Transit system, with an operating budget reduced to 10 percent of its 2009 total, has become more of a vessel for nepotism than a provider of safe transit service, according to a recent editorial.
New Jersey Star-Ledger
