Alabama
Proposed Alabama Bill Would Fund Public Transit
The senator who introduced the legislation cited concerns about the state’s low levels of workforce participation, noting that a lack of transportation is one of the main reasons Alabama residents can’t participate in the workforce.
Amtrak Gains Final Approvals for Return to the Gulf Coast
A vote by the Mobile city council secured three key agreements that will pave the way for bringing passenger rail service back to coastal regions east of New Orleans.
Alabama Funds Roof Replacements to Stave off Insurance Crisis
The Fortified roof program is helping tens of thousands of homeowners make their homes more resilient against hurricane damage.
Highway Construction Flooded Their Homes; The State Says They’re Not Responsible
An earlier settlement for flood damages incurred by residents of Shiloh, Alabama came with an unexpected condition.
Birmingham, Ala. Passes ‘Landmark’ Parking Reform
New businesses in Birmingham, Alabama will no longer have to provide a minimum number of parking spaces.
Closing the ‘Wastewater Gap’ in the Black Belt
Newly announced federal funding will help resolve the decades’ long sewer crisis faced by rural majority-Black communities in Alabama and Mississippi.
Commentary: We Need to Build for Disaster, Not Simply Focus on Recovery
As the frequency and severity of weather events increases, building codes need to be adjusted to include resilience principles.
More Delays for Restoring Gulf Coast Amtrak Service
Conflicts over freight rail and funding are holding up the restoration of New Orleans-to-Orlando service on Amtrak’s Sunset Limited line.
Omicron Breaks Another Pandemic Record: Hospitalizations
The highly infectious Omicron variant is contributing to a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. The record set in last winter's surge fell on Tuesday as hospitals suffer from massive labor shortages caused by the variant.
Nation's Capital Is #1 COVID Hotspot
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations per capita in the District of Columbia are higher than in any state or U.S. territory on New Year's Day. Only Puerto Rico and Louisiana have seen hospitalizations increase faster than D.C. in the last two weeks.
The Pandemic Crisis Is a Hospital Crisis
"Flatten the curve" was one of the first pandemic terms that Americans heard during the first surge. The idea was to reduce coronavirus transmission so as to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. But which curve? Case in point: Idaho.
Ida Takes a Deadly Toll in the Northeast
Hurricane Ida passed through New Orleans, knocking out power causing extensive damage along the Gulf Coast. Then it moved to the Northeast, killing dozens of people with flooding caused by heavy rains.
Return to Normal...For the Unvaccinated?
Americans are experiencing their first near-normal holiday weekend, though masks are still required for all traveling at airports and on planes, buses and trains. We take a look back and forward at where the U.S. may be heading in the pandemic.
Returning to the Office: Will Vaccinations Be Required?
A survey by Kaiser Health News of 15 of America's largest companies found that none are considering vaccine mandates, but most offer employee incentives. Mandates may be more of consideration after the FDA approves the vaccines.
Federal Stimulus Offers a Chance for Local Reinvention
Cities around the country are making big plans for economic relief funding from the federal government.
California Hospitals Now Operating Under Contingency Care Guidelines
The three levels of care provided by hospitals: conventional, contingency, and crisis, were outlined in a letter sent to all hospitals. They must notify the state by Wednesday that they have adopted some version of crisis standards to ration care.
Lack of Septic Systems Spell Disaster for Low-Income Alabama Residents
Low-income Alabama residents who can't afford the cost of a functional septic tank run the risk of heavy fines and even arrest in addition to extremely unsafe conditions.
The Legacy of Structural Poverty in Alabama
In rural Alabama, a long history of racial inequality and poverty has left people struggling to survive in uninhabitable housing.
It's Time to Move On From Community Consensus
Public meetings often disprove the notion that communities have a unified stance on any issue. With this in mind, we must move past trying to find consensus and focus on uplifting the most marginalized voices.
Second Wave or Second Peak?
The terminology of the coronavirus pandemic isn't applied consistently, particularly when dealing with areas seeing a resurgence of infection after states have relaxed social distancing restrictions. The World Health Organization added some clarity.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
