Government / Politics

How City Hall Caused Sprawl in Atlanta

How local government policy -- as opposed to state and federal policies -- contributed to Atlanta's sprawl.

October 11, 2005 - Social Science Research Network/Ecology Law Quarterly

State, Towns Form Naval Air Station Redevelopment Agency

Just months after the Pentagon announced that they would close the Brunswick Naval Air Station, The State of Maine and the towns of Brunswick and Topsham have moved quickly to begin the redevelopment process.

October 8, 2005 - Portland Press Herald

Hurricane-proofing Louisiana's Coast

With $40 billion in federal dollars at stake for protecting New Orleans from future flooding, Congress is forming a special commission to oversee the allocation of the funds.

October 7, 2005 - CNN

FEMA Scuttles Evacuee Housing Plan

New Orleans city officials are outraged over FEMA's about-face that would have provided housing for over 6,000 displaced workers.

October 7, 2005 - The Wall Street Journal

States Take On Feds Over Environment

State-led lawsuits and environmental initiatives are changing the face of US environmental regulation.

October 6, 2005 - The Christian Science Monitor

Competing For New Orleans' Future

Many different planning factions are fighting to have their say in the long process of rebuilding New Orleans.

October 5, 2005 - The Boston Globe

Endangered Species Act Gets Listed

A bill rapidly moving through the House favors land developers over species.

September 29, 2005 - The Christian Science Monitor

Highway Capacity: A Public Safety Issue?

In a post-9/11 and post-Katrina world, where mass evacuations mean an exodus in private vehicles, does a lack of appropriate freeway capacity represent a public safety hazard, asks Wendell Cox.

September 28, 2005 - National Review

Army Corps of Engineers Requests $40 Billion For Post-Katrina Projects

The money, part of the larger Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief and Economic Recovery Act, would fund a variety of projects, but is drawing a storm of controversy. The amount is 16 times the amount previously needed to protect New Orleans from a Category 5 hurricane.

September 27, 2005 - The Washington Post

Six Crucial Questions Facing Coastal Development

According to metereologists we may be heading for a new era of severe Atlantic storms. Coastal communities face six crucial questions.

September 26, 2005 - The New York Times

Returning Transportation Pork To New Orleans?

California politician Nancy Pelosi begins a remarkable trend by offering to give the $70 million earmarked for San Francisco transportation to the Katrina appropriations fund.

September 25, 2005 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Katrina and the Demographics of Destruction and Reconstruction

A nonprofit legal advocacy organization offers a proposal for how New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast region can be rebuilt in a sustainable and socially just way.

September 24, 2005 - Center For Law In The Public Interest

Outsourcing City Management

Sandy Springs, GA, is undertaking a bold experiment to outsource city administration to the private sector.

September 22, 2005 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Plan To Flood New Orleans?

The most striking fact of the New Orleans catastrophe has received less notice than it deserves: The plan for New Orleans in case of a hit from a very powerful hurricane was to lose the city.

September 21, 2005 - Reason Magazine

The Politics of Gridlock

It is time for a new consensus that is based on the realization that we will never get Americans out of their cars, writes Robert Atkinson.

September 21, 2005 - Progressive Policy Institute

Who Will Rebuild New Orleans?

Mark Alan Hughes asks who has the power to decide on rebuilding plans for New Orleans: former or returning residents, federal policymakers, local officials, or all taxpayers?

September 20, 2005 - The Philadelphia Daily News

Preparing L.A. For Disaster

According to several sources, Los Angeles is one earthquake away from becoming a new New Orleans -- and they warn that local preparedness is imperative.

September 19, 2005 - LA Weekly

Green Belt Strategy Fails In Sydney

An editorial lists all of the ways that the Australian government failed in not implementing the strategy in two Sydney neighborhoods.

September 18, 2005 - The Sydney Morning Herald

Rethinking the Future of the Federal Surface Transportation Program

Beyond fiscal year 2009, the future of the surface transportation program appears murky.

September 18, 2005 - Innovation Briefs

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.