Government / Politics

Pneumatic Tube Trains and AVs to the Rescue? Smarter Planning for New Mobility
New mobility modes and services have tantalizing potential, but they can also impose significant costs and risks. We need objective and comprehensive analysis to determine how—and how not—to incorporate these new technologies.

Battle Over San Francisco's Pedestrianized 'Great Highway'
Although the project has been hugely successful with local residents, the mayor and some county supervisors wanted to revert the road to vehicle use.

A 'Tiny Home Village' Grows in Los Angeles
The complex can house over 200 people and will provide bathrooms and social services for people transitioning out of homelessness.

How Data and Tech Can Support Transit Planning
Agencies can use data resources to improve their decision-making and provide more responsive service.

Revised Amtrak Mandate Could Allow for 'Paradigm-Shifting' Changes
Language in the new infrastructure bill calls for the agency to prioritize ridership and service levels over profitability.

Atlanta Business Group Unhappy With City's Inaction on Transportation Projects
The Midtown Alliance is urging the city to give more control to community improvement districts to speed up procurement or risk losing out on federal funding.

Op-Ed: Instead of a New VMT Tax, Raise the Gas Tax
Implementing a tax based on miles traveled could disincentivize purchasing more efficient cars and would do little to improve road safety, one columnist argues.

To Regain Transit Ridership, Policymakers Must Address Land Use and Housing
More buses and trains alone won't bring back riders; other incentives are needed to boost ridership and encourage new users.

Proposed Colorado Rule Calls for Mitigating Climate Effects of Road Projects
State and local agencies would be tasked with evaluating and offsetting the carbon emissions caused by new transportation projects.

Rental Assistance Still Not Reaching Tenants in Need
Federal funds meant to help renters during the pandemic are still stuck in bureaucratic limbo as the end of the latest eviction moratorium looms in early October.

Detroit Residents Find it Hard to Access Land Bank Properties
Longtime residents say the city is not fulfilling its goal of keeping vacant parcels in the hands of locals as property values rise steeply.

How Cuomo's Resignation Affects Transit Projects
With the governor stepping down, the state's transit agencies have an opportunity to reevaluate controversial projects and shift their priorities.

'A City is Not a Computer:' Why 'Smart Cities' Fail
The 'smart city' concept fails to take into account the necessary slowness of democracy and the unpredictability of a city's human inhabitants.

D.C. Has Concerns About Parking and the Cost of Maglev Proposal
Washington, D.C. officials are urging modifications to key components of a proposal to build a maglev system between D.C. and Baltimore, citing disruptions to neighborhoods and cost concerns.

The Vaccinated Account for 20 Percent of Covid Infections in a Few Hot Spots
All Americans, vaccinated and unvaccinated, are still in this pandemic together.

California Energy Commission Mandates Solar Power
In an effort to curb the state's greenhouse gas emissions, builders will be required to include solar power in many new commercial and large residential buildings.

Supreme Court of Texas Upholds Governor's Ban on Local Mask Mandates
As the coronavirus surges in hard-hit Texas, threatening to overwhelm hospitals, the state supreme court affirmed the right of the governor to preempt local governments from enacting proven health measures to keep residents safe from infection.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Heads to the House: Details and Reactions From the Planning World
Planetizen gathered explainer posts and advocacy responses that continue to shine a light on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, approved by the U.S. Senate earlier this month.

New York Progressives Continue to Block Development
Despite mounting evidence that cities like New York must build more housing to accommodate their growing populations and stem the housing affordability crisis, some of the city's most progressive neighborhoods are resisting new development.

Wealthy Bay Area Communities Fight Housing Targets
Some California cities and counties are appealing regional housing allocations, which could have a meaningful impact on how and where development occurs over the next decade.
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