A new study concludes that encouraging businesses to prosper and create jobs is the most important function of local government.
24/7 Wall Street reviewed the local economies, fiscal discipline and standard of living of the 100 largest cities by population in compiling its first annual list of the best and worst run cities in America. Their analysis suggests that the most important quality separating the best run cities from the worst is access to jobs.
Of note: "Nine out of the 10 worst-run cities on this list rely on older industries that are shrinking...While residents who were able to moved away, those without resources remained. As a result, the cities' expenses remained high while their tax bases shrunk."
Check out the list to see if your city made the cut.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.

Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.

Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
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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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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