Missouri
Searching for Middle Ground in the Urban-Rural Divide
Aaron Renn responds to a column in the Kansas City Star lamenting the political inequities of Kansas City's urban setting relative to nearby rural communities.
60 Years of Midwestern Urban Renewal
Researchers at the Institute for Quality Communities at the University of Oklahoma prepared a set of images to show the indelible impact of mid-20th century urban renewal on Midwestern cities.
Kansas City Proceeding with the First of (Possibly) Many Road Diets
Mike Hendricks reports on road diet plans for Grand Boulevard in Downtown Kansas City.
On the Symbolism of Highway Protests
Freeways have a rare ability to symbolize both a mundane convenience and a bulwark of segregation. One columnist notes the powerful act of protesting racial injustice by closing freeways.
Explained: Vacancies, Population Decline, and the Importance of Household Size
Jason Segedy has published a long, brutally frank look at blight and vacant properties, especially at the underappreciated culprit for the woes of so many shrinking cities around the Rust Belt: household decline.
Plans for the 'Loop Trolley' in St. Louis Threatened by High Costs
Plans for the 2.2-mile Loop Trolley in St. Louis have encountered problems before—now planners and construction contractors reportedly have different ideas about how much it will take to build the line.
Kansas City Streetcar to Provide Frequent, Late Night Service
Under construction and expected to launch service in Fall 2015, the Kansas City Streetcar will provide frequent service in Downtown Kansas City.
Deadly Highway Guardrail Design Questioned
After five deaths, several states have stopped installing FHWA-approved guardrails which have been said "to turn into spears" when hit by vehicles. An Oct. 20 jury verdict awarded $175 million to a whistleblower to be paid by the rail manufacturer.
Report Details Deep Inequality in the St. Louis Region
Ken Leiser shares the results of survey finding that "Blacks are far more likely than whites to live in poverty, to be unemployed and to drop out of school in the St. Louis region."
$102 Million Brings Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail a Step Closer
A $102 million investment by Illinois along with federal funds from the Recovery Act will pay for double-tracking and a new rail bridge to enable 109 mph service on a key section of Amtrak's Chicago to St. Louis high speed rail corridor.
St. Louis Facing Huge Costs from Aging Water Infrastructure
"The St. Louis region doesn’t face the prospect, as Western states do, of running out of water," according to Jacob Barker. But the region is facing a water problem: "aging infrastructure and capital spending that isn’t keeping up."
Ferguson Conflict Provides Lessons in Suburban Poverty
A post by Brookings explains how the racial tensions and violent clashes between police and protestors in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson are a symptom of common contemporary archetype: the impoverished suburb.
What's Next for Missouri After Voters Reject Sales Tax Measure?
In the wake of the decisive rejection of a ballot measure on August 5 to raise the state sales tax by .75% for a package of transportation improvements, how will the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) meet the state's transportation needs?
Two Transportation Measures Soundly Rejected in Missouri
With 100% of precincts reporting on Tuesday evening, Amendment 7, a .75 percent statewide sales tax measure funding a package of transportation improvements, was rejected by 59% of voters. Kansas City voters snubbed a measure to expand the streetcar.
Competition Addresses the Design Challenges of Placemaking in Rural Communities
In its annual competitive funding effort, the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) has selected four small towns and rural communities to host a two-and-a-half day rural design technical workshop.
A Bad Year for State Transportation Funding
Compared to 2013, few states are increasing transportation spending through tax increases. Only New Hampshire and Rhode Island saw limited gas tax increases, though both were accompanied by road or bridge toll eliminations. Missouri could be next.
FHWA Releases Findings for 'Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program'
If you build integrated walking and bicycling networks into a community’s transportation system, will people use it? That’s what Congress wanted to know nearly a decade ago when it established the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program.
Pending $5 Billion Transportation Sales Tax Redrawing Missouri's Political Map
Dave Helling details the political machinations behind the state of Missouri's proposed statewide transportation sales tax that will appear before voters in August.
States Address Impending Cut-off of Federal Transportation Funds
With federal highway funds likely to be cut off in August unless Congress can reach an agreement on a stopgap solution, some states, e.g., MO, VT, GA, AR have taken matters into their own hands to ensure that vital construction projects continue.
Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 Signed into Law
President Obama has signed "a bipartisan $12.3 billion water bill that will help improve harbors, waterways, levees, and ecosystems across the United States," according to an article by Adie Tomer and Joseph Kane.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
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
