Thanks to a series of "lousy" public policy decisions, Ottawa - Canada's national capital - is growing increasingly dysfunctional, writes Jeffrey Simpson.
"The municipal council is often dysfunctional. The budget is a mess. The streets are potholed. It takes forever to get anything done. Two top transit officials just quit, presumably in disgust. The [Federal] government dislikes the place. And now, just to cap things off, the mayor has been charged with attempted bribery."
"City Hall hasn't functioned well since Mr. O'Brien's election. He made one of those impossible promises in the campaign - to freeze taxes for four years - that has ensnarled everything. Mr. O'Brien, a successful businessman, brought the simplicity of the business mind to the complexity of governing, with predictable results. He thought that, as business people often do, by eliminating "waste and duplication" and privatizing certain services, he could balance the budget and avoid a tax increase."
"It was great politics but lousy public policy. The city manager explained why it wouldn't work. The Mayor's first chief of staff quit. The council rebelled."
"There was a plan - Ottawa never lacks for plans - to build a light-rail system. That scheme got completely mishandled, in part thanks to a maladroit intervention by federal Environment Minister John Baird, an Ottawa MP."
"So now Ottawa has no train - but it does have a lawsuit from the German company that was to have built the train. True to form, the city just unveiled a $2-billion transit plan without any idea how to pay for it. Meantime, $200-million from the province and another $200-million from the feds for transit go begging. The federal Conservatives now want to use some of the money not for rapid transit but for - you guessed it - a bridge."
FULL STORY: Another reason for despairing of Ottawa

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.

San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population
In a commentary published in The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan describes a shelter and law enforcement approach to ending targeted homeless encampments within Northern California's largest city.

Atlanta Changes Beltline Rail Plan
City officials say they are committed to building rail connections, but are nixing a prior plan to extend the streetcar network.

Are Black Mayors Being Pushed Out of Office?
The mayors of New York, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh all stand to lose their seats in the coming weeks. They also all happen to be Black.
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.
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments
City of Edmonds
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research