United States

As we've noted numerous times, the Highway Trust Fund will become insolvent around the end of the fiscal year - Sept. 30, just when MAP-21, the transportation authorization bill, expires. We were wrong. The new HTF "ticker" explains the bad news.

February 20, 2014 - Politico Morning Transportation

A chronicle of the evolution of popular planning, drawn from data collected from the long history of Planetizen as a forum for discussion and reporting.

February 20, 2014 - Ken Steif

Over strong objections from some auto and truck manufacturers, President Obama directed EPA to develop new fuel efficiency regulations for medium and heavy-duty trucks by March 2016 as part of his administration's effort to reduce carbon emissions.

February 19, 2014 - The New York Times - Politics

More than 80 communities adopted complete streets policies in 2013, bringing the national total to 610 jurisdictions with such policies. The National Complete Streets Coalition examined the newest programs for the best examples.

February 19, 2014 - Smart Growth America

Outdated and onerous regulations, particularly those found in zoning ordinances, are affecting the availability of housing choice. What can communities do to expand their hosing stock? C.J. Gabbe explains.

February 19, 2014 - Community Builders

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed into law on February 17, 2009, less than a month into President Obama's first term. The Council of Economic Advisers recently presented its final quarterly report on ARRA's impacts.

February 18, 2014 - WhiteHouse.gov

So much for switching from diesel fuel to natural gas to protect the environment. A new report concludes that it is best to stick with oil-based fuels because methane leakage from natural gas is much greater than currently estimated.

February 18, 2014 - The New York Times - U.S.

Locality (a self-described "local business search site") has ranked the cost of living for the “yuppie” lifestyle in every American city. It’s no surprise that San Francisco tops the list, but how do 29 cities rank on the "Yuppie Price Index"?

February 18, 2014 - Locality

The Feb. 2 spill of coal ash slurry from a Duke Energy containment pond has taken a new turn with a federal grand jury issuing subpoenas for records from both Duke Energy and the state environmental regulator.

February 17, 2014 - The Charlotte Observer

A recent study by the Pew Research Center shows that despite the increasing use of tablets and e-readers, Americans still love books and still rely on libraries as a central cultural institution.

February 16, 2014 - Pew Research Center

Tired of not closing deals to preserve affordable housing due to delays in public financing, the nonprofit Housing Partnership Network created a real estate investment trust. The results have been "game changing."

February 16, 2014 - NPR

A side-by side-comparison of several cities’ snow routes reveals the inherent logic (or lack thereof) of their transportation infrastructure.

February 15, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

Plan documents tend to be static, long, and—let's face it—boring. See how three planning organizations started thinking outside the PDF box to encourage more informed citizen participation.

February 15, 2014 - Engaging Cities

At a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meeting on Feb. 12, leaders from big labor, big business, AASHTO, and AMTRAK testified to the importance of keeping the Highway Trust Fund solvent. The first two specified increasing the gas tax.

February 14, 2014 - The Hill

A new report argues that city governments have some of the same incentives for de-emphasizing single-occupant commuters as colleges—such as attracting younger workers and freeing up land used for parking.

February 14, 2014 - Governing

A recent study called “America’s Rental Housing: Evolving Markets and Needs” by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard smashes myths about the rental market—of particular importance given the recent rise in rents around the country.

February 14, 2014 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Analysis of the USDA’s 2010 National Resources Inventory, which tracks land use, shows the growth rate of suburban sprawl peaking in the mid-1990s, declining by two-thirds since then, even through the most recent housing boom. How did that happen?

February 13, 2014 - Greater Greater Washington

Should dying cities like Detroit get their own visa programs to attract skilled foreign workers? What about prosperous cities like New York and London?

February 13, 2014 - Future Cities

Say what you will about growing corn for fuel, and there are many criticisms even coming from the environmental community, corn ethanol has its benefits, and one of the most important is reducing oil's stranglehold on America's transportaton fuels.

February 13, 2014 - Inside Climate News

A recent news broadcast showed the mayor of Tacoma with a backdrop of the city of Seattle. The feeling of being hidden in the shadow of larger, older neighbor cities is familiar all over the world, but what are “kid sister” cities to do about it?

February 12, 2014 - New Geography