United States
Friday Funny: The Onion Blasts U.S. for Slow Trains
The satirical news site The Onion has imagined a world where China and the United States are competing over which country can operate the slowest, least dependable train systems.
Report: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reductions Not Hitting Paris Agreement Goal
The United States is making modest gains in the power and transportation sectors, but emissions in the industrial sector are holding steady, absent new reduction initiatives.
Local, State Governments Creating Obstacles for Institutional Investors on the Housing Market
Large Wall Street investors are increasing their footprint in the housing market, like they did after the Great Recession, and some local and state governments are inventing new ways to prevent these institutional investors from cornering the market.
What’s at the Root of Homelessness? A Lack of Affordable Housing
Despite the common belief that drug abuse and mental illness are some of the main factors that cause people to become unhoused, a new book concludes that high housing costs and low availability, more than anything else, push people into homelessness.
Pandemic-Era Big City Population Loss More Dramatic Than We Thought
A new analysis indicates that many big cities saw their biggest population declines in at least a decade, with suburbs also showing a slowdown in growth.
Rents Likely To Stay High as Home Sales Market Cools
The Fed’s recent decision to raise interest rates is causing a slowdown in the housing market, but rents are poised to remain high as demand for rental housing continues to outpace supply.
Dangerous By Design: 2022 Report Analyzes Rising Pedestrian Deaths
The report ranks the most dangerous states and metro areas for pedestrians, who died at higher rates during the pandemic despite reduced driving.
Safety Concerns Driving Riders Away From Transit
Public transit systems in major U.S. cities are struggling to restore their image after rising crime rates led to heightened security concerns among riders.
Funding Allocated to Extend Life of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant
In order to to ensure that the lights stay on, the California legislature approved allocating up to $75 million to extend the life of the state's sole remaining nuclear plant and four natural gas powered plants, to the chagrin of environmentalists.
High Gas Costs Making a Small Dent in Carbon Emissions
Americans are driving slightly less due to high prices at the pump, but this reduction in driving is only making a small impact on overall U.S. carbon emissions.
Federal Agency To Launch Anti-Speeding Initiative
With traffic deaths rising around the country, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is moving to address speeding and regulate autonomous vehicles.
Biden Administration Proposes New Rule to Track Emission Reductions by State DOTs
Some skepticism is warranted about the potential impact of a proposed federal rule for states and regional planning agencies to track greenhouse gas reductions from transportation investment.
The Case for a ‘Zoning Czar’
Federal oversight of zoning reforms could coordinate efforts across agencies and shoulder some of the political backlash to local zoning changes.
Who’s To Blame for Gentrification?
Most likely, no one in particular—but policy changes can alleviate the housing shortage and prevent displacement.
A New Life for the Suburban Office Park?
With more and more employers downsizing and moving to areas with more urban amenities, large suburban office parks offer an opportunity for increased density and mixed-use development.
Why Not Hold Traffic Safety to the Same Standards as Transit?
Many transportation modes, such as trains and airplanes, have robust, system-wide response mechanisms to investigate safety concerns when incidents occur. Why is traffic safety still seen largely as an individual responsibility?
Biden’s Environmental Legacy (So Far)
President Biden campaigned on promises to restore many of the environmental regulations rolled back by the previous administration, while promising new efforts to tackle environmental injustice and climate change.
Initiative Brings Capacity Building to Booming Rural Towns
A research and capacity building initiative based at Utah State University seeks to help fast-growing tourist meccas in the West plan for smart growth.
$1 Billion ‘Reconnecting Communities’ Program Accepting Applications to Repair Damage of Racist Transportation Planning
The Biden administration has talked about the need to repair the damages of a racist history of transportation planning in the United States. The time has finally come to put their money where their mouth is.
Supreme Court Guts the U.S. EPA’s Ability to Limit Carbon Emissions
The consequences of this ruling have long been foretold. With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now officially barred from the fight against climate change, Congress will have to act to reduce carbon emissions.
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.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
