Congress
Farm Bill Compromise Reached After SNAP Controversies Resolved
After a political stalemate, lawmakers now say they have a farm bill that will pass both the House and Senate.
Op-Ed: It's Time for a Weakened Mortgage Interest Deduction To Go
Last year's tax reform bill seriously curtailed the mortgage interest deduction, despite its reputation for untouchability. Perhaps lawmakers should get rid of it entirely.
Omnibus Spending Bill Will Save Transit Grant Programs—for Five Months*
Congress passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill to keep the government operating through September that also restores funding to transportation programs that the president had eliminated or greatly reduced. Trump signed the bill Friday.
U.S. Conference of Mayors Lobbies for Federal Infrastructure Funding
The devil is in the details, as they say. That will be especially true as Congress and the Trump Administration decide how to allocate infrastructure spending around the county.
Revoking a National Monument Not Easy, Even with Republican Congress
But that's no reason not to try, figures Republican Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, chair of the powerful House Natural Resources Committee, who has his sights on the Bears Ears National Monument, barely a month old.
Federal Lands Transfer Bill Withdrawn
Facing backlash from hunting and angling groups, Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz withdrew legislation that would have transferred millions of acres of federal lands to state governments in the West. But news wasn't good for other environmental bills.
Energy and Environmental Regulations Under Attack—by Congress
Two environmental regulations enacted by the Obama Administration are expected to be rescinded under the Congressional Review Act: the Stream Protection Rule that protects water from mountaintop coal mining and limits on flaring methane emissions.
Get Ready for a Wave of Federal Land Transfers in Western States
It's the antithesis of what former President Obama and his predecessors did when they gave federal lands and waters more protection. But don't blame Trump's executive actions for this one (not yet, anyway), as it's being proposed by Congress.
The Trump Administration: Good for Transit?
The conventional progressive wisdom is that the Trump Administration will be bad for cities and for transit users. But in recent decades, a unified Republican government has been better for public transit than a divided government.
Cities After President Trump
Urbanists consider what the administration of President-elect, Donald Trump, will mean for cities.
$170 Million for Flint Water Pipes a Step Closer to Congressional Funding
An amendment to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that would provide $170 million to replace contaminated water pipes is headed to the 11th hour of the Congressional session.
Planning Programs to Watch in the Federal Omnibus Spending Bill
Congress is on pace to wrap up a major piece of federal legislation before leaving for recess.
House Transportation Bill Misses Mark on Transit
Transit advocates have little good to say about the recently-passed Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act. While it doesn't cut transit funding, it does nothing to expedite transit-based solutions.
Dispatch from 'Planners' Day' on Capitol Hill
The American Planning Association took to Washington, D.C. recently to seek support for legislative actions that will enable the planning efforts of the next few years.
House Approves Cuts to Census and American Community Survey—Senate Up Next
The American Planning Association is keeping tabs on a bill making its way through Congress that would cut funding for the U.S. Census Bureau.
Mobilizing Against Threats to American Community Survey
Rep. Ted Poe (R – Texas) has introduced legislation that would gut the reach of the American Community Survey—one of the most useful sources of information for planning research.
Op-Ed: Where GOP Is Strong, Cities Receive Less
When it comes to federal appropriations, urban areas in states dominated by rural Republicans are at a distinct disadvantage. In search of lobbying power, metros in affected states are banding together.
Congressional Bill to Expedite Transit Oriented Development
Cory Booker has introduced a railroad bill that will, among other things, expand financing for transit-oriented projects near train stations. The new law would also make it easier for TOD developers to apply for federal loans.
Washington, D.C.: A City Held Hostage
A neutral capital "district" may have sounded like a fine idea in the early 1800s. Today, Washington, D.C.—the burgeoning city, not the political fabrication—is crippled by the whims of Congress and a host of anti-urban policies.
Meet the New Federal Leadership on Transportation
New leadership on transportation issues steps to center stage as the result of Republicans taking control of both houses of Congress for the first time since 2006.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
