Click here to skip to main content.
scenic picture from Washington state
MRSC FOCUS › Focus Archive › Planning

Focus Archive - Planning

Please note that Focus section links were valid at the time of their original posting. However, since Web sites and addresses change frequently, we cannot guarantee that all links will remain operative.

Nimbyism on the Apartment Front: Danger Signals for Us All (September 08)
If city after city continues to shoot down economically viable rental housing projects, where exactly we are going to accommodate the expected growth in this country in the coming decades? More from Citiwire.

Emerging Issues: Wrestling With Jane Jacobs (September 02)
We don’t need acolytes of Jane Jacobs; we need people who will think as hard and as well as she did about "the kind of problem a city is." More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Great Good Places (September 02)
New restaurants that look like they’ve been part of their neighborhoods forever all share a subtle but ambitious social agenda: to create and celebrate community. More from Metropolis Magazine.

Vancouver: Planner’s Dream, Middle Class Nightmare (September 02)
Vancouver, B.C., was recently ranked as the city with the most unaffordable housing in the English speaking world by Demographia’s annual survey. More from New Geography.

San Francisco Rolls Out Supply-and-Demand Pricing for Parking Meters (August 11)
After years of preparation, the city is now rolling out Sfpark, a high-tech new system that will set the price of parking spots according to supply and demand. More from Good.

Farmers Markets Growing like Weeds Around Country (August 11)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that there are now 6,132 farmers markets in the country, up 16 percent from last year and a stunning 214 percent increase since 2000. More from Grist.

Where & How Will We Live? (August 04)
Six leaders in residential real estate development discuss U.S. housing development trends. More from Urban Land.

The Role of Local Elected Officials in Economic Development (July 28)
The National League of Cities' Center for Research and Innovation has published a new guide on The Role of Local Elected Officials in Economic Development: 10 Things You Should Know.

Regional Growth Futures: Getting it Right (July 28)
Over the past 30 years, more than 2 million acres of Cascade-range forest and farm land has given way to sprawling development. More from Citiwire.

Flexible Public Transportation Services (July 28)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board, A Guide for Planning and Operating Flexible Public Transportation Services, explores the types of flexible transportation service strategies that are potentially appropriate for small, medium, and large urban and rural transit agencies.

NLC Announces New Sustainability Resources for Cities (July 28)
The Sustainability Program in NLC’s Center for Research and Innovation is excited to introduce a number of new resources to help support and catalyze the efforts of cities in pursuing sustainability goals throughout their communities. More form Nation's Cities Weekly.

Employer and Institutional TDM Strategies (July 21)
A recent report from the Transportation Research Board, Employer and Institutional TDM Strategies, explores the relative importance of particular categories of transportation demand management (TDM) strategies, such as support versus incentives, as well as the particular strategies themselves, such as transit subsidy versus a high-occupancy vehicle parking discount.

Investing in Electric Cars (July 21)
Will the needed investment in new infrastructure for electric cars pay off? More from Governing.

The Reverse Commute (July 21)
The Obama administration is trying to rein in suburban sprawl. But is it any match for 70 years of unsustainable development? More from The American Prospect.

The World Beyond GIS (July 15)
GeoDesign, the latest concept in computer-aided, multidisciplinary design techniques, integrates technologies — and the professions that use them. More from Planning Magazine.

The Homeless Get Homes (July 15)
Tempe and Maricopa County in Arizona are testing a long-term solution to getting the homeless off the streets and into homes. More from Governing's Idea Center.

Washington Department of Commerce Announces $1 Million in Transfer of Development Rights Grants (July 08)
The Washington State Department of Commerce recently announced $1 million in competitive grant funding for incorporated cities and towns located in the Puget Sound Regional Council region. More from Foster Pepper News.

Minimizing Car Travel by Changing How We Think about Development (July 07)
While it’s intuitive that sprawl leads to more miles traveled by car, solutions to the problem are somewhat less instinctive. Should we continue the push toward mixed-use development, encourage dense developments or build up near existing city centers? More from Smart Planet.

There's No Such Thing as Free Parking (July 07)
How eliminating parking spaces could make cities more nimble and efficient. More from Slate.

Foreclosures Point to Waning of the Suburban Era, Study Says (July 07)
Development is shifting to cities more strongly than most Americans realize, a new book asserts. More from New urban News.

A Desire for More Streetcars (July 07)
More than half a century after the streetcar's heyday, this transportation mode is poised to make a comeback. More from Governing.

Bicycle Highways (July 07)
Should cities build specialized roadways for cyclists? More from Slate.

Housing Costs Devour More Family Budgets (June 28)
18.6 million American households –renters and homeowners alike – spend more than half their income on housing. More from City Limits.

Stadiums and Economic Growth—or Not (June 28)
Fiscally unsustainable policies now threaten democracy around the world. Awash in red ink, some governments have responded by building stadiums they don't need with money they don't have. More from Governing.

Nimble Cities (June 28)
Help Slate make transportation in and between cities more efficient, safe, and pleasant. More from Slate.

Solving Two Problems with One Program (June 28)
A partnership in Maine could help repair homes and provide disadvantaged workers with career training. More from Governing.

Using GIS to Increase Citizen Engagement (June 16)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government traces the evolution of the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in government, with a focus on the use of GIS by local government.

Webinar to Feature Public Engagement Practices (June 16)
The National League of Cities' Center for Research and Innovation will hold a free webinar, “Public Engagement Practices in Local Government,” on Wednesday, June 23, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Freight Finds Its Niche (June 16)
For the railroads, logistics centers are really hot items. More from Planning.

The Challenge of Seattle's Emerging Society (June 10)
The challenges ahead will require a regionwide commitment to maintain Seattle's rank among the nation's most demographically vibrant metro areas. More from Brookings.

2010 Statewide Transportation Enhancements Program (June 10)
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) invites sponsors of eligible projects in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties to submit applications to compete for the $11,022,000 available through the 2010 Statewide Transportation Enhancements Program.

Installing Citywide Fiber-Optic Networks (June 10)
Don't wait to find out if Google will install broadband in your city. More from Governing.

“Livability” — Wimpy Term But Big Stakes For Us All (June 10)
Is the Obama administration’s “livability” initiative just a way for intrusive federal bureaucrats to choke off Americans’ prized “automobility” — four wheels to commute from ever-distant suburbs, or just to pick up a quart of milk? More from Citiwire.

Green IT goes Gold (June 10)
As cities and counties work to reduce their energy costs and meet community sustainability goals, many are finding technology tools that help generate successful results. More from American City & County.

Infrastructure: Pay Now or Pay a Lot More Later (June 10)
After years of subsidizing and effectively hiding the real costs of building and maintaining infrastructure for users and taxpayers, government leaders must now decide whether and how to pay for necessary massive infrastructure improvements at a time when the public is calling for belt-tightening. More from Citiwire.

Awards for Seattle Green Factor (June 02)
Seattle Green Factor, an innovative landscaping standard first implemented in 2007, has won recognition from the American Society of Landscape Architects at national and state levels. More from Seattle's Department of Planning and Development

New Legislation Extends Time Period for Final Plat Approval (May 28)
In SSB 6544 (Ch. 79, Laws of 2010), the 2010 legislature extended, until December 31, 2014, the statutory time period for submitting final plats for city or county approval from five years after preliminary plat approval to seven years after that approval. It also extended the vesting period for approved final plats from five to seven years. More from MRSC.

Impact Fee Cuts Increase Housing Affordability (May 26)
In markets across the country where new housing construction has grounded to a halt over the last few years, local governments are experimenting with reducing the fees they charge developers in an effort to stimulate new housing construction. More from Breakthroughs.

Metros as Keys to Our Future: Will Cities, Suburbs Collaborate? (May 26)
As Americans increasingly perceive the downward slide in our international competitiveness — signaling the need for education, infrastructure investment and research if we’re to keep pace — the ground may be more fertile for inventive new city-suburban alliances. More from Nations Cities Weekly.

The Man Who Reinvented the City (May 26)
Andres Duany, the father of New Urbanism, talks about today's environmentalism, the problem with suburban teenagers, and why democracy can't be trusted to build smart cities. More from The Atlantic.

Poverty Comes to the Suburbs (May 19)
Poverty is encroaching on suburban enclaves -- even the most affluent of them. Many are ill-equipped to meet the new social-service needs. More from Governing.

EPA's Rulemakeing Gateway (May 19)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Rulemaking Gateway provides information to the public on the status of EPA's priority rulemakings.

The Future is Now in King County (May 19)
As the automotive industry gets ready to hit the market with new electric vehicles, King County, is planning ahead with the installation of up to 200 charging stations at transit park-and-rides and vanpool lots in the next three years. More from NACo's County News.

Are Pedestrian Malls the Relic of Antiquated Thinking? (May 19)
Even as New York City makes big news for transforming parts of 34th Street into a pedestrian mall, Sacramento is pulling back from the concept. More from Next American City.

Growing America: Demographics and Destiny (May 12)
With America expected to grow by 100 million people in the next 40 years, how will states and localities run a bigger, more diverse country? More from Governing.

22 Cities that May Have New Streetcar Lines Within 2 Years (May 12)
The Community Streetcar Coalition held a summit earlier this year in Alexandria, Virginia where it brought together people working to get new streetcars running in 22 cities across the nation. More from Scientific American.

New Fact Sheets on Climate Change Available (May 12)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posted four two-page fact sheets on climate change based on recent scientific data and findings. These documents may be useful to local governments looking for public outreach materials on climate change.

Rethinking Supermarkets (May 05)
Supermarkets of the future may become the center of neighborhood life, predicts Seattle-based planner Mark Hinshaw. More from Citiwire.

Portland and "Elite Cities" (May 05)
Is Oregon’s metropolis a leader among American cities or just strange? More from The Economist.

Agriculture is the New Golf: Rethinking Suburban Communities (May 05)
There is new movement to plan suburban communities around farms instead of golf courses. Can it catch on? More from Good.

Struggling Neighborhoods: Time To Think Big About Broad-Scale Solutions (May 05)
What’s happening to America’s low-income neighborhoods in the face of the Great Recession? What can be done to protect them? More from Citiwire.

Back to the City (May 05)
The suburbs have lost their sheen: Both young workers and retiring Boomers are actively seeking to live in densely packed, mixed-use communities that don’t require cars. More from Harvard Business Review.

America's Prettiest Towns (May 05)
These places offer natural beauty, a unique identity or a combination of the two. More from Forbes.

New Building Codes Effective July 1, 2010 (April 28)
The State Building Code Council has adopted the 2009 editions of the codes listed on its Adopted Codes Web Page, with the noted amendments. These codes will go into effect July 1, 2010.

Assistance for Small Community Compliance with Environmental Regs (April 28)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Small Communities Compliance and Enforcement" web page provides resources directed at small local governments that typically have more difficulty complying with environmental regulations than larger local governments do.

Where Are Cities Headed? (April 22)
Five experts from the fields of real estate development, architecture, and urban planning discuss the role of cities in an urbanizing world and offer insights into how cities are—and should be—shaping future development as the recession ends. More from Urban Land.

Partners in Preservation - Seattle-Puget Sound Initiative (April 22)
Partners in Preservation, a partnership of American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has pledged $1 million to preserve historic places in the Seattle/Puget Sound region. More from Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods.

Transportation Costs Impact Housing Affordability (April 14)
When transportation costs are factored into the affordability equation, only two in five U.S. communities offer affordable housing options for average households in the nation, according to a new analysis by the Center for Neighborhood Technology. More from MuniNet Guide.

Transit Oriented Development Guide (April 14)
The Mixed Income Transit-Oriented Development Action Guide developed by the Center for Transit Oriented Development is an online tool designed to help local jurisdictions and planners develop strategies to create mixed income transit oriented development around planned transit stations.

Zoning and Sprawl (April 14)
It's not zoning per se that causes sprawl, it's the fact that lots of registered voters actively want sprawl and have successfully demanded rules that keep density at bay. More from Mother Jones.

Streetcars are Poised for a Dramatic Comeback (April 14)
Thanks to the Obama Administration, streetcars may soon be reintroduced into many cities that haven’t had them for more than 50 years. More from New Urban News.

Let's not Fool Ourselves on Urban Growth (April 07)
There has been a lot written lately about the return to the city. But let’s not make claims about “fundamental shifts” that are simply not supported by any realistic look at the totality of the data. More from New Geography.

New Homes are Cropping up in Cities, not Suburbs (March 31)
Today in conventional wisdom–busting news, we learn that grimy old cities are attracting more residential construction than the bright suburban frontier. More from Grist.

Smart Cities Prowl other Smart Cities for Ideas (March 31)
Journalists criticize inter-city "junkets" by civic leaders, but they are keys to economic success and urban reforms. Seattle has long known this secret. More from Crosscut.

Get Help with Smart Growth Initiatives from EPA Experts (March 31)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is looking for communities that are committed to smart growth but lack the tools to implement their smart growth projects for its annual Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program.

NLC Offers New Economic Development Assistance to Cities (March 31)
The National League of Cities (NLC) and Northeastern University’s Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy have launched the Economic Development Partnership to assist cities and towns in attracting and expanding private investment, a sustainable tax base, and well paying jobs. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

How to Make Urban Alleys Work (March 24)
An imaginative design competition focuses on one alley in Seattle's Pioneer Square, coming up with ideas we should apply around the city. More from Crosscut.

Tracking Cellphone Users Locations (March 24)
In a study in Europe using cellphone GPS data, researchers discovered that people rarely leave a six-mile area around where they live. Researchers say that the model of human motion they developed could be useful for urban planners, evacuation planning and disease tracking. More from Planning Commissioners Journal.

H is for Historic Preservation (March 24)
Laurence Gerckens offers a brief history of the historic preservation movement in America. More from the Planning Commissioner's Journal.

Eyes On Rio As It Hosts The World Urban Forum (March 24)
Rio, the city that stunned the world by capturing the 2016 Olympic Games, will witness a different kind of show this week: How the world’s metropolises sell the case that they’ve become key to the planet’s 21st century sustainability. More from Citiwire.

New Smog Rules Target Rural Counties (March 17)
Proposed EPA rules may throw rural counties into Clean Air Act violation overnight. More from Governing.

Ten Keys to a Low Carbon Community (March 17)
A practioner offers cost-saving methods to help address climate change. More from Urban Land Green.

Community Partnerships for Older Adults Build Aging-Friendly Communities (March 17)
Aging is a process we all share, but many communities are not prepared for the challenges posed by an aging population. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Benefiting from Special Districts in Cities (March 10)
With U.S. cities increasingly strapped for cash, it comes as no surprise that community benefit districts (CBDs) are gaining in popularity. More from Urban Land.

Needed: Urban Innovation Hot Spots (March 10)
Cities should become living innovation labs, says Saul Kaplan. Only then will we come up with bold system changes that work. More from Business Week.

The Compelling Case for the Cable Car (March 10)
Cities are discovering that cable’s inherent flexibility and adaptability gives it capabilities that no other transit technology shares. More from New Geography.

Are Wind Farms a Health Risk? (March 10)
A study of families living near wind farms found nature's energy might not be so healthy. More from Governing.

Sustaining Sustainability: It Ain’t Always Easy (March 03)
How do you embed into a town’s culture the precepts of smart planning, of building walkable town centers and channeling the growth into the areas where it makes sense to grow? More from Citiwire.

Report on U.S. Parking Policies (March 03)
A report released by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, U.S. Parking Policies: An Overview of Management Strategies, highlights the new wave of parking policy innovation that could pay huge dividends for sustainable transport and livable streets.

Local Governments Face Census Challenge (March 03)
Localities want an accurate census count, but it's going to cost them money to make that happen. More from Governing.

Five Myths About the 2010 Census and the U.S. Population (March 03)
As we prepare to stand and be counted in 2010 -- and the U.S. Census Bureau is spending a lot of advertising money to make sure that everyone is -- let's note a few misconceptions about our population and the efforts to tally us up. More from Brookings.

Using Information in Community Building and Local Policy (March 03)
A report from the Urban Institute, Stories: Using Information in Community Building and Local Policy, describes successes in using neighborhood indicators to improve communities in several areas, including neighborhood development, housing, children and schools, crime and prisoner reentry, health and service delivery.

Can Green Technology Propel Economic Development? (March 03)
With states looking to kick-start their economic engines, green technology is increasingly viewed as the piston helping drive it. More from Governing.

The American Poor Spread to Suburbia, But We’re Not Ready (March 03)
Let’s face it: American public policy has yet to respond to or even grasp the profound change in settlement patterns that has been gradually making its mark on the nation’s landscape over the past few decades. More from Next American City.

Parking Pricing Guide (February 24)
A new report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Parking Pricing Implementation Guidelines, offers guidance on parking pricing and examples of successful parking pricing programs.

Case Studies for Transit Oriented Development (February 24)
A report prepared by Reconnecting America, Case Studies for Transit Oriented Development, summarizes 10 strategies being implemented by communities to encourage successful transit-oriented development.

America's Most Miserable Cities (February 24)
Cleveland leads a slew of Midwestern towns on Forbes annual ranking of America's most miserable cities, but thanks to high taxes New York and Chicago make it too. More from Forbes.

Happy Cities (February 24)
Silicon Valley is America's happiest big metro-region and Washington, D.C. is second, according to a new survey of America's 52 largest metro regions by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. More from The Atlantic.

How the Recession Has Changed American Migration (February 24)
The old saying that Americans have been moving from the Snow Belt to the Sun Belt fails to capture either what has been happening from 1990 to the onset of the current recession in 2007 or what is happening today. More from The American.

Stemming the Tide of Homelessness (February 10)
Rapid re-housing might just be the answer to the nation's growing homelessness problem. More from Governing.

Home Sizes Continue to Shrink (February 10)
Survey data from the NAHB and Better Homes and Gardens indicates that builders and consumers are thinking smaller. More from Custom Home Online.

A Chronicle of New Urbanism and Exurban Decay (February 10)
Faced with aging infrastructure, higher maintenance costs, and growing numbers of poor, the suburban landscape we once aspired to and now take for granted is changing before our eyes. More from Fast Company.

Empty Lot Syndrome (February 10)
The typical large city has 15 percent of its land sitting vacant or abandoned, according to the National Vacant Properties Campaign. More from Governing.

The Aughts: The Decade of Infrastructure (February 03)
As the decade ends, there's little to cheer save a notable exception: infrastructure. More from Governing.

Fighting Foreclosures Using Emergency Management Tactics (February 03)
Local governments are building ad-hoc networks to tackle housing foreclosures. More from Governing.

A Bike-Ped State of the Union (February 03)
Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.: 2010 Benchmarking Report is an essential resource and tool for government officials, advocates, and those working to promote bicycling and walking. More from the Alliance for Biking & Walking

Quiz: Guess the Housing Density (January 27)
Dan Zack, downtown development coordinator for Redwood City, CA, takes a Palo Alto audience through a 12-minute density quiz viewing 17 buildings - get out your pencils and guess their density. More from YouTube.

Incentives to Promote Green Affordable Housing (January 27)
Some state and local governments are adopting regulatory incentives to encourage green affordable housing development. More from Breakthoughs.

The First Urban Decade (January 27)
The last half of the 20th Century was dominated by suburbia, but cities made a comeback in the first decade of the new millennium. More from New Urban News.

The Suburbanization of Poverty (January 27)
A new report from Brookings, The Suburbanization of Poverty: Trends in Metropolitan America, 2000 to 2008, reveals that by 2008, suburbs were home to the largest and fastest-growing poor population in the country.

Federal Public Transportation Policy Shifts Toward 'Livability' (January 20)
Federal funding guidelines for major transit projects now will be based on livability issues, such as economic development opportunities and environmental benefits, along with current criteria that include cost and time saved. More from American City & County.

Cities for Cycling Embrace European Street Designs (January 20)
It's time to think beyond bike lanes and start using street designs that are common in European cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen, where up to 40 percent of all trips are made on two wheels. More from Governing.

A Suburban Bird's Eye View (January 20)
Metropolis presents a slideshow of photographs by artist Christoph Gielen, who photographs suburban developments from a helicopter.

9th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference (January 13)
The registration deadline is rapidly approaching for the 9th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, which will be held on February 4-6, 2010 in Seattle, Washington.

Beyond Neo-Victorianism: A Call for Design Diversity (January 13)
Midcentury modern – the era from about 1945 to 1955 – has become a darling style of the interior design world, has yet to be recognized as a valid model for urban development. More from New Geography.

Building Retrofits (January 13)
Green retrofitting of buildings is one of the most significant development activities going on today. More from Urban Land.

Urban Planner: A Top Career for 2010 (January 06)
U.S. News & World Report has named urban planning one of its 50 top careers for 2010. More from U.S. News & World Report.

Study Looks at Impact of TODs on Nearby Property Values (January 06)
A recent study from San Jose State University, Effect of Suburban Transit-Oriented Developments on Residential Property Values, examines 4 suburban transit oriented developments (TODs) for their effects on nearby property values.

Death to Dead Ends: Will the New Suburbia Omit Cul-de-Sacs? (January 06)
As planners try to adapt the American dream to the new realities of sustainability, cul-de sacs are under attack. More from Fast Company.

Building Public Support for Affordable Housing (December 22)
A report produced by the Institute of Local Government, Building Public Support for Affordable Housing: A Toolbox for California Officials, outlines strategies that local officials can adopt to help overcome NIMBYism and to promote affordable housing development.

Andres Duany on Smart Growth (December 22)
A founding father of the Congress for New Urbanism talks about zoning reform, climate change, and the fate of greenfield development. More from Builder Magazine.

Planning Near Pipelines Web Page (December 09)
MRSC has posted a new webpage on "Planning Near Pipelines" as part of a federally funded project for sharing information on pipeline safety issues. The federal grant will cover the costs for having an MRSC legal consultant or a member of the Pipeline Safety Trust staff come to your jurisdiction to discuss planning options. Contact Jim Doherty at MRSC or the Pipeline Safety Trust for more information.

The Return of the Two-Way Street (December 09)
Why the double-yellow stripe is making a comeback in downtowns. More from Governing.

Municipal League Releases Report on Land-Use Regulation (December 09)
A new report from the Municipal League of King County, "Rights, Wrongs and Reforms: Selected Issues on Land-Use Regulation within King County, is the result of a two-year study originating from a review of the 2006 Property Rights Initiative, I-933.

Web Sightings - Transportation Concurrency (December 01)
This month we’ve selected Web sites addressing transportation concurrency. “Concurrency,” or the provision of adequate public facilities and services to serve development, is one of the goals of the state Growth Management Act (GMA). The GMA requires that transportation improvements or strategies to accommodate development impacts be made at the time new development occurs (or within a specified time period).

As a starting point, see MRSC’s Web page on Concurrency Provisions

State Guidance and Regional Resources

Local Concurrency Programs

15 Cities for People Who Hate Driving and Long Commutes (November 18)
Where to go if you don't want to spend a lot of time behind the wheel. More from US News and World Report.

When Bad Things Happen to Good Plans (November 18)
Delays plague even the best public-private partnerships. More from Planning.

Homelessness in America: Finally, Glimmers of Light (November 12)
If we want to tackle health care reform–if we want to lower costs–we must tackle homelessness. More from Citiwire.

Smart City - Must Shrinking Cities Grow? (November 12)
This week's Smart City features discussions with Harvard economist Ed Glaeser about shrinking cities, and with urban design critic Randy Gragg about interactive art and urban design projects.

The Re-charge of Electric Vehicles (November 04)
Heavy doses of federal funding and incentives are reviving the once dim prospects for all-electric vehicles. More from American City & County.

A Housing Recovery with a Solid Foundation (November 04)
Even if policy supports are ended, home affordability and shrinking inventory point to a sector on the mend. But don't expect recent price increases to continue apace. More from Business Week.

Reaction Housing (November 04)
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it became obvious that America was frustratingly ill-prepared to house people displaced by a natural disaster. More from Good.

Web Sightings – Tree Conservation (November 04)
This month we’ve selected Web sites on tree conservation and urban forestry, including general information and some Washington city and county sites:

General Information

Local Governments in Washington State

Metropolitans in the Middle (October 28)
Relationships between the federal government, states, and localities need to be re-imagined to more fully realize the potential of metropolitan America. More from Brookings.

Target Engaged (October 28)
Consultant gives tips on involving residents with local government. More from American City & County.

Constructing Communities Through Cohousing (October 28)
Cohousing, which is cooperatively-managed but independently-owned housing, is gaining popularity in the Northwest. More from Northwest Hub.

Program Helps Make Downtown Renaissance a Reality (October 28)
It goes without saying that times are hard for our downtowns these days. But, despite that fact, there are things that can — and should — be done to help downtown hold on during this downturn and be ready for when the inevitable upturn occurs. More from Nations Cities Weekly.

The GOOD 100: Ending LEED’s Monopoly (October 21)
Follow or Get out of the Way: The household name in green construction needs to innovate in order to keep up with the competition. More from Good.

Stop Means Stop (October 21)
How do we get bikers to obey traffic laws? More from Slate.

MRSC Services Survey (October 21)
MRSC is conducting a brief survey to assess whether or not our existing services are meeting your needs and to determine your interest in any additional services. We would appreciate your taking a few minutes to respond to these nine questions. Thank you.

Ten Keys to a Low-Carbon Community (October 14)
A practitioner offers cost-saving methods to help address climate change. More from Urban Land Green.

Smart City - Battling Climate Change (October 14)
This week's guests on Smart City discuss mixed use buildings that are better for the environment and low hanging fruit for cities that want to make a big dent in their carbon footprint.

Rental Housing: Its Day Returns (October 14)
Goodbye to the era of homeownership as the powerful, pervasive symbol of the American Dream. More from Nations Cities Weekly.

Spokane Neighborhood Receives National Recognition (October 14)
The American Planning Association (APA) recently announced that the Browne’s Addition neighborhood in Spokane has been designated one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2009 by APA's Great Places in America program. More from APA.

Pipeline Safety Grant Awarded- September 2009 (October 07)
A $50,000 technical assistance grant has been awarded to AWC, WSAC and other partners by the federal Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration to enhance pipeline safety by improving local government land use planning and permitting practices in the vicinity of transmission pipelines. More …

The 'Vacancy' Blight: Finding New Uses for Empty Stores (October 07)
Across the country, property owners and managers are trying out new uses for empty stores. More from Time.

U.S. Cities On The Rise (October 07)
Americans are moving to college towns and job-growth centers, not the big cities. More from Forbes.

Transfer of Development Rights and Affordable Housing (October 07)
See how two communities have integrated affordable housing requirements within existing TDR programs to achieve the dual goals of affordable housing creation and open space conservation. More fom Breakthroughs.

Do Local Governments Tweet? (October 07)
Celebrities do it, your kids do it, and local governments are doing it, too. More from Public Management.

The Citizen Participation Gap: Can the Internet Help? (October 07)
Is the Internet leveling the playing field when it comes to citizen participation across income levels? More from MuniNetGuide.

CDC's Recommendations for Obesity Prevention and Control (September 23)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just released its first comprehensive set of evidence-based recommendations on how local governments can address the nation’s obesity epidemic with policies and programs that encourage physical activity and healthy eating. More from ICMA

Affordable Housing Toolbox (September 23)
An online resource created by Tompkins County, New York, Vital Communities Toolbox, catalogues a variety of planning tools that are available to assist communities in the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

Forget Curbing Suburban Sprawl (September 16)
Building denser cities would do little to reduce CO2 emissions, a new National Academy of Sciences report concludes. More from Technology Review.

San Jose, Calif.'s Wikiplanning Project on Course (September 16)
In San Jose, Calif. -- the heart of Silicon Valley -- city officials are attempting to bring the wiki concept to city planning. More from Government Technology.

Where We Want To Be (September 16)
A new report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Where We Want To Be - Home Location Preferences And Their Implications For Smart Growth, finds that demographic and economic trends are increasing demand for communities based upon smart growth approaches while demand for sprawl housing is declining.

Driving and the Built Environment (September 02)
A report from the Transportation Research Board, Driving and the Built Environment: Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions, examines the relationship between land development patterns and vehicle miles traveledto assess whether petroleum use, and by extension greenhouse gas emissions, could be reduced by changes in the design of development patterns.

College Towns: High Marks For Lifestyle (September 02)
At a time when many cities are struggling to spur civic vitality, places that are home to major colleges or universities are percolating along robustly, often with healthy job growth, low costs of living and rising property values. More from New Geography.

Traveling At Good Speed (September 02)
Transportation policy shouldn’t be reduced to average commuting times. More from Governing.

Vibrant Neighborhoods and Successful Schools (September 02)
A recent Brookings paper, Vibrant Neighborhoods, Successful Schools: What the Federal Government Can Do to Foster Both, focuses on four principles regarding the vitality and performance of schools and communities and discusses opportunities for constructive policy interventions.

Cultural Development and City Neighborhoods (August 26)
A new Policy Brief from The Urban Institute, Cultural Development and City Neighborhoods, examines four characteristics of city cultural policy that affect cultural development and cultural life in neighborhoods.

The Ruins of the Unsustainable: Searching for Answers to the Suburbs (August 26)
The suburbs have long been unsustainable, and now they are becoming ruins. What are the solutions for this new frontier? More from World Changing.

What Would Get Americans Biking to Work? (August 26)
Surveys have shown that the leading deterrent to potential bicycle commuters is lack of a safe, secure parking spot on the other end. More from Slate.

Green at City Scale (August 26)
As part of an evolving “eco-district” policy, Portland city leaders aim to move beyond the design of individual structures to focus on greening entire neighborhoods. More from Governing.

Proposed Deal With County Gives City Smart Growth (August 26)
Smart urban growth development is linked with rural land protection under a visionary partnership agreement between the City of Bellevue and King County. More from Alliance for Innovation.

It’s Time to Wake up the Sleeping Giants (August 12)
Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are ideally suited to the regional realities of today’s metropolitan areas and to the task of shaping future growth in multi-jurisdictional communities. More from Citiwire.

Smart City - Walking the Walk (August 12)
Smart City talks to economist Joe Cortright of Impresa Consulting about a new study titled "Walking the Walk" that shows how homes in more walkable neighborhoods are more valuable than those in more car-dependent neighborhoods. More from Smart City.

TOD: A Vehicle for Great Streets and Great Sidewalks (August 12)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) represents not only an opportunity to put density near transit, but possibly as importantly, to remake the public realm creating a city of great streets and great sidewalks. More from the Urbran Land Institute.

Biking and Walking: Our Secret Weapon? (August 05)
Biking and walking proponents say it’s time for the federal government to focus less on new and expanded highways, and far more on safe pathways and “complete streets” for our towns and cities. More from Citiwire.

Downtown Central-Cities as Hubs of Civic Connection (August 05)
Downtown central-cities seem poised to reclaim some of their prominence as magnets of culture and social connection. More from New Geography.

Web Sightings - Solar and Wind Power (August 05)
Alternative renewable power resources have become increasingly attractive solutions to meeting our energy needs. Local governments are involved in permitting of alternative energy facilities, including small rooftop wind and solar systems, as well as in building energy-efficient city and county facilities.

Alternative Renewable Power Resources – General

Solar

Wind

Eyes Wide Open, A Practical Guide to Business Retention (August 05)
More than ever before, a sound, systematic business retention program should be the foundation of every community's economic development strategy. More from Public Management.

Which Cities Will, and Won’t, Recover the Fastest (August 05)
While some cities are poised for a quick rebound, others face a slog to recovery that could take years. More from Forbes.

Designing Healthier Neighborhoods for Kids (July 15)
Pediatricians are paying more attention to how neighborhood design can affect children's physical activity, and they have some recommendations for governments. More from Governing.

4 Cases Of How Tearing Down A Highway Can Relieve Traffic Jams (And Save Your City) (July 15)
Though our transportation planners still operate from the orthodoxy that the best way to untangle traffic is to build more roads, doing so actually proves counterproductive in some cases. More from The Infrastructurist.

Big City Populations Survive the Housing Crunch (July 15)
America’s big cities, often considered to be the most demographically challenged part of our landscape, turn out to be survivors of the nation’s recent housing doldrums. More from Brookings.

Light Rail Boom Needs a Second Look (July 15)
Regions need to think first not about rails versus buses but the kind of network will serve them best. The goal of a viable citistate-wide system should come first and the preferred mode, fittingly, second. More from Citiwire.

From One-Way Rotary System to Modern Roundabout (July 15)
Across America, towns and cities of all shapes and sizes have been choosing modern roundabouts over antiquated signalization equipment and expensive grade separated interchanges. More from Making Places.

Telecommuting and the Broadband Superhighway (July 15)
The nation’s next transportation funding legislation must promote the telecommuting option…aggressively. More from New Geography.

The Public Market Renaissance (July 15)
After decades of decline, America’s local markets are making a comeback. More from Good.

Census Bureau: Outlying Counties are Growing Faster (June 24)
While a solid majority of the U.S. metro area population was living in central metro counties by 2007, the outlying metro counties in most regions of the country grew faster between 2000 and 2007 than central counties, according to new information released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Retrofitting Suburbia (June 24)
The dearth of good, cheap, undeveloped sites in suburban markets, the escalating number of vacant greyfield properties, and the expansion of mass transit systems into suburban areas are all factoring into a changed American suburban market. More from Urban Land.

New Lives for Old Buildings (June 24)
How one city is smoothing the way for adaptive reuse. More from Governing.

Mathematicians Take Aim At 'Phantom' Traffic Jams (June 24)
A team of MIT mathematicians has developed a model that describes how and under what conditions such jams form, which could help road designers minimize the odds of their formation. More from Science Daily.

Tools for Mixed-Income TOD (June 24)
A report from the Center for Transit Oriented Development, Tools for Mixed-Income TOD, discusses resources and strategies that local governments can bring to bear when integrating mixed-income housing within transit-oriented developments.

Facts and Findings on Foreclosures, Families, and Communities (June 24)
A new report from the Urban Institute, The Impacts of Foreclosures on Families and Communities, details what is known about how foreclosures adversely affect households and their neighborhoods — from children and the elderly to public safety and local property tax revenues.

The Changing Geography of Metropolitan Employment (June 17)
The continued decentralization of employment has implications for the future of the nation’s vital economic engines. More from Brookings.

Parking Policies Can Reduce Car Use (June 17)
Increasing the costs of parking, including reducing supply, can encourage less driving and lead to less traffic. More from Sightline.

Infill in US Urban Areas (June 17)
For the first time, the United States Bureau of the Census is producing data that readily reveals infill, as measured by population growth, in the nation’s urban areas. More fom New Geography.

Scaling Back to Gain Affordability (June 10)
As the economy continues to struggle, the private sector is reorganizing old business models to make housing development more affordable. More from Breaktrhoughs.

The Governor's Smart Communities Awards (June 10)
Governor Gregoire's Smart Communities Awards Web page lists the 2009 award winners for outstanding achievement in creating livable and vibrant communities.

Seniors and the City (June 10)
Most baby boomers hope to age in place. Should government play a role in making that happen? More from Governing.

A Street Renaissance in NYC (June 03)
The New York City Street Design Manual, two years in the making, promises to serve as a comprehensive resource for promoting higher quality street designs and more efficient project implementation.

Does 'Smart Growth' also Create More Sprawl? (June 03)
Urban density, a Seattle and Portland mantra, is supposed to constrain sprawl, but a new analysis suggests that vital, dense cities produce bigger suburbs too. More from Crosscut.

Solve the Congestion Crisis And Win $50,000 (June 03)
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) recently kicked off a $50,000 "Congestion Challenge" that seeks to pair social networking with innovative transportation policy-making. More from ITSA.

Put Your Money Where the People Are (June 03)
When it comes to transportation strategies, many U.S. cities are moving toward a "complete streets" approach. More from Planning.

Report Evaluates Smart Growth Policies (June 03)
Smart Growth Policies: An Evaluation of Programs and Outcomes, is the first major evaluation of smart growth policies in the United States, the result of a two-year effort involving 21 contributing researchers convened by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Climate Change and U.S. (May 27)
A recent paper from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) gives an overview of the potential impacts of climate change in the U.S.

June 10th - National Pipeline Safety Day (May 27)
A resolution adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives has declared June 10th, 2009 as National Pipeline Safety Day. June 10th is the tenth anniversary of the Bellingham pipeline rupture and tragedy. The resolution reminds us that local governments need to be aware of pipeline safety issues and take appropriate steps to safeguard the public. Local governments should require all applicants obtaining permits that involve digging or moving earth to use the 8 -1-1 “call before you dig” system. Planning departments should make sure that all major pipelines are clearly marked on maps used when reviewing development applications.

Smart City - Arts and Culture (May 27)
This week on Smart City: arts, culture and buzz. Does your city have it? How can you tell? And if you don't have it, where do you get it?

Regional Cooperation: A Pathway to Economic Recovery (May 27)
Regional cooperation is a proven way to reduce costs, increase economic competitiveness, manage development impacts and create new opportunities and synergies between communities. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Suburbs and Cities: The Unexpected Truth (May 27)
Most suburbs of large cities have grown not from the migration of local city-dwellers but from migration from small towns and the countryside. More from New Geography.

County Program Standardizes Green Building Practices (May 20)
The GreenTools program of King County, Wash. Seeks to standardize green building practices that will support development but also protect and conserve natural resources. More from NACo's County News.

Stop This Train! (May 20)
There is at least one technology in America that is worse now than it was in the early 20th century: the train. More from Slate.

Smart City - Successful City Secrets (May 20)
This week's guest on Smart City ofers a global perspective on the secrets of successful cities.

Smart Growth? Or not so Bright Idea? (May 20)
The benefits of this high-density housing viewpoint are fast becoming a ‘given’ to planners and city governments, but studies that promote the advantages often omit the obvious disadvantages. More from New Geography.

MRSC's In Focus e-Newsletter for Councilmembers and Commissioners (May 20)
MRSC's bi-weekly In Focus e-newsletter is an excellent way for your elected officials to stay informed about the latest news, research, events and trends affecting Washington city and county governments. Sign them up today.

Can Social, Participatory Gov 2.0 Work? (May 20)
The charge towards Gov 2.0 is in danger of falling off the tracks if done incorrectly. More from Government Technology.

Plug In and Drive (May 13)
In order to reap the benefits of electric cars, drivers will need to be able to charge their cars at home and on the road. States and cities are relying on public-private partnerships to create that infrastructure. More from Governing's Idea Center.

Ranking of Bicycle Friendly States (May 13)
The League of American Bicyclists recently released their second annual ranking of Bicycle Friendly States in conjunction with Bike to Work Week. Washington State was ranked No. 1, again.

HUD Releases Plan for $980 Million In Stimulus Block Grants (May 13)
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced how it will divide $980 million that the economic-stimulus legislation—the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—provided for Community Development Block Grants. More from Architectural Record.

Green Loans Improve Energy Efficiency, Local Economies (May 06)
For savvy homeowners ready to improve the energy efficiency of their homes but hesitant to make the investment in today’s troubled economy, HELP is on the way. More from NACo's County News.

KaBOOM! Playspace Finder Assists Cities in Charting Public Parks, Playgrounds (May 06)
Taking constant detailed inventory of public parks can develop into a difficult task for cities large and small, but it’s also an undertaking that can produce unforeseen benefits. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Involving Citizens in Adapting to Climate Change (May 06)
Evidence for climate change has been mounting over the past two decades and presents local governments with an unprecedented challenge in carrying out its responsibilities to protect citizens from harm. More from ICMA.

Smart City - Connecting a City Through Greenways (May 06)
This week's guest on Smart City tells us how greening a city can help build community and civic engagement.

Road-use Fees Could Solve Our Transit Woes (May 06)
Substituting road-use pricing for the gasoline tax would reduce automobile travel times and greenhouse gas emissions, improve transit options and make metropolitan areas more pleasant and more sustainable places to live and work. More from Brookings.

Grounded (April 30)
Times are tough at small airports. More from Governing.

Agencies Collaborating: Affair of the Year (April 30)
Radical change is brewing in how Washington impacts growth and development of America’s communities. More from Citiwire.

Residential Mover Rate in U.S. is Lowest Since 1948 (April 30)
The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the national mover rate declined from 13.2 percent in 2007 to 11.9 percent in 2008 — the lowest rate since the bureau began tracking these data in 1948. More from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Celebrating 75 Years of Research and Services! (April 23)
MRSC proudly continues the program begun as the Bureau of Governmental Research and Services in 1934 at the University of Washington. In honor of our organization’s 75th anniversary, we hope that you will enjoy a multimedia slideshow containing highlights of our history. Also see “Twenty-Five Years of Governmental Research and Service” prepared in honor of the Bureau’s 25th anniversary in 1959.

Are Cities to Blame for Climate Change? (April 22)
The authors of a study published in Environment and Urbanization take on the role of detective trying to find who is releasing the emissions creating climate change. Their hope is to clear cities as the prime suspect. More from Sightline Daily.

Improving Quality of Life with Workforce Housing (April 22)
In areas with high housing costs, a workforce housing program can provide individuals with the opportunity to own or rent a home at affordable prices in the communities where they work. More from Breakthroughs.

MRSC Blog: Selected Local Government Press Releases (April 22)
We have launched our blog containing selected local government press releases to keep you informed on new Washington local government programs and initiatives. Each entry is assigned a category (finance, planning, etc.) and a tag (wetlands, urban forestry, etc.) so you can sort them by topic. If you have not already done so, please add blog@mrsc.org to your agency's press release distribution list.

Public/Private Partnerships in Transportation (April 15)
Public/private partnerships in transportation, long prevalent in other parts of the world, are becoming increasingly popular in U.S. states and cities searching for infrastructure funding alternatives. More from Urban Land.

Smart City - Elsewhere U.S.A. (April 15)
Technology has given birth to a new place, according to Dalton Conley, author of the new book, Elsewhere USA. In it he describes the way the American social landscape has changed from the 1950's ideal of a split between work and home, to a constantly connected 24-hour economy. More from Smart City.

The Greening of Mercer Island (April 15)
Mercer Island is taking big steps to become a more sustainable place. City Communications Coordinator, Joy Johnston, tells ICMA TV more about Mercer Island and what the city is doing to focus on environmental improvements.

Report on Airport Land-Use Zoning Restrictions (April 15)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board, Responsibility for Implementation and Enforcement of Airport Land-Use Zoning Restrictions, explores federal, state, and local laws and regulations pertaining to aviation land use and zoning.

Brookings Report Assesses Impacts of Stimulus Spending (April 15)
A new Brookings report, Metro Potential in ARRA: An Early Assessment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provides an initial overview of the intent, approach, and content of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) from the point of view of metropolitan America.

Cities Taking Measures to Stimulate their Local Economies (April 15)
Building on national economic recovery efforts, local governments across the nation are strategically assessing the needs of their communities and employing creative solutions to stimulate business growth and development. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Housing Migrates Back to Cities (April 15)
An EPA study finds exurbs are losing market share while downtown corridors are making a comeback. More from Builder.

MacArthur Foundation Pumps $32 Million Into Affordable Housing (April 08)
The MacArthur Foundation recently announced it is injecting $32 million into the preservation and creation of affordable housing in the U.S. The organization is giving $9.5 million worth of grants, plus an additional $23 million in low-interest loans, to programs in 12 different states. More from Architectural Record.

Smart City - Century of the City (April 08)
A century ago, only one in 10 people lived in an urban environment. 100 years later, a majority of us call a city home. Darren Walker offers a fascinating global perspective on the Century of the City, the title of the new book on Smart City.

Getting Ready for Build America Bonds (March 26)
There's a new tool for financial officials and managers to master. More from Governing.

Hope for Metro Regions In New White House Office? (March 26)
Can the new White House Office of Urban Affairs live up to grand expectations? More from Citiwire.

Message to President Obama: Don't Forget the Suburbs (March 26)
American suburbs are increasingly diverse places and the economic engines that drive metropolitan areas, which are the key to the nation’s prosperity. More from Citiwire.

Urban Renewal (March 26)
For an emerging generation of activist designers, the future of the American city lies not in top-down master plans, but in a fine-grained analysis of the existing fabric. More from Architect Online.

In Hard Times, Public Places are More Important Than Ever (March 26)
Places that serve everyone in the community—parks, libraries, public buildings, markets, plazas, playgrounds, and other hang outs—are more important than ever, especially for those who are struggling to get by on shrinking or low incomes. More from World Changing.

Run for Your Lives, Please (March 11)
What does it take to make people heed a disaster warning? More from Governing.

Government Seeks Major Input on Broadband Build-Out (March 11)
By design, there were a lot more questions than answers at the first meeting of the three government agencies charged with overseeing the broadband deployment portion of the economic stimulus package. More from Broadcasting & Cable.

Dead Malls (March 11)
Malls built over the last few decades are being refurbished into so-called lifestyle centers, a term created by developers to describe what may be the world’s oldest location for retail commerce: an urban mixed-use community. More from Sustainable Industries.

Paradise LOSt: Turning Automobility on Its Head (March 11)
Two arguments in the debate over LOS have emerged. One calls for abandoning LOS but replacing it with a metric that prioritizes transit, cycling, and walking before cars. Another argues for walking away from LOS entirely, given that it is merely a convention and not a law. More from Streetsblog.

Putting Parking into Reverse (March 11)
Four years after the publication of UCLA Planning Professor Donald Shoup's book, The High Cost of Free Parking , cities across America are devising ways to stop parking in its tracks. More from Intransition.

Suburbs Not Most Popular, But Suburbanites Most Content (March 11)
Suburbanites are significantly more satisfied with their communities than are residents of cities, small towns or rural areas, according to a Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey. More from the Pew Research Center.

Get Help with Smart Growth Initiatives from EPA Experts (March 04)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is looking for communities that are committed to smart growth but lack the tools to implement their smart growth projects for its annual Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program (SGIA).

Web Sightings – Transfer of Development Rights (March 04)
Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a valuable tool to conserve agricultural, forest, and rural land. TDR programs allow owners to transfer the right to develop one parcel of land to a different parcel of land. In Washington State, TDRs are used to shift development from resource lands and rural areas to designated urban growth areas where municipal services are available.

TDR Programs from Washington Counties and Cities

Green Infrastructure Municipal Handbook Grows (February 26)
The US Environmental Protection Agency is developing The Municipal Handbook to help local officials implement green infrastructure in their communities.

Federal Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan (February 26)
One day after signing the $787 billion economic recovery package into law, President Obama announced the most expansive federal effort to date to address the current foreclosure crisis that many believe is the root cause of the economic downturn. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Radical Renewal (February 19)
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak loves economic development. He just wants to do it his way. More from Governing.

Degentrifying Condos (February 19)
A program in Boston preserves live/work spaces for artists in new buildings. More from Metropolis Magazine.

Smart City - The City Dividends (February 19)
Joe Cortright is an economist for Impresa Consulting in Portland, Ore., and his latest work shows how profitable it can be for a city to be greener, smarter, and with fewer people living in poverty. More from Smart City.

Keep It Green (February 19)
As the stimulus bill takes shape, states need to pay attention to the impact of new projects on wildlife, wetlands and water. More from Governing.

Green Cities, Brown Suburbs (February 19)
To save the planet, build more skyscrapers—especially in California. More from City Journal.

Incentives to Promote Infill Housing (February 12)
Developing on vacant parcels in built-out neighborhoods — infill development — has been increasingly used for residential purposes and long accepted as a means of increasing the affordable housing supply. More from Breakthroughs.

Taking Traffic Control Lessons — From Ants (February 12)
If humans took their cues from ants, they might spend less time in traffic. More from Wired Science.

Google Earth 5.0 Includes Historical Imagery (February 12)
The latest update to Google Earth - Version 5.0 - includes the ability to view historical data according to location and could prove invaluable for the teaching of urban growth and urban sprawl. More from Digital Urban.

Preventing and Ending Homelessness (February 12)
A recent report from the Urban Institute, Preventing and Ending Homelessness-Next Steps, examines the current state of homelessness, how community responses are changing, what is working, and, most important, what policymakers should be doing to move forward, not backward.

Imagining the Suburban Future (February 12)
Speaking of the future of American suburbs, Herbert J Gans, Professor of Sociology, Columbia University, contends that there will be no drastic changes in the next decade or even the next quarter century and that both suburban homeowners and future homeowner hopefuls will oppose any attempt to move them involuntarily to significantly higher densities.

Accessory Dwelling Units Report (February 12)
A publication prepared for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Accessory Dwelling Units: Case Study, examines the history and benefits of ADUs, and highlights six communities that have successfully implemented ADU ordinances.

2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure (February 05)
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently released their 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, estimating the nation still stands at a D average. More from ASCE.

"Top Ten" Green Building Trends for 2009 (February 05)
Green building will continue to grow in spite of the global credit crisis and the ongoing economic recession in most countries. More from iGreenBuild.com.

Key to Safer Roads is Identified in California Study (February 05)
A review of fatalities in 24 cities shows that safety grows as street networks become denser. More from New Urban News.

Public Spaces - Greatest Hits of 2008 (February 05)
The Project for Public Spaces reviews 10 trends shaping the future of our communities -- from public markets to community-based transportation planning. More from Making Places.

Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing (February 05)
To help reduce commuting costs and make housing "truly" affordable for low-income families, local jurisdictions are increasingly turning to transit-oriented developments (TODs) that incorporate affordable housing elements. More from Breakthroughs.

Stimulating Main Street (February 05)
Most infrastructure is local. That's where stimulus spending can do the most the quickest. More from Governing.

Trouble in Green City (January 29)
Zoning trumps design guidelines in historic Portland, Oregon. More from Preservation Magazine.

Smart City - America's Transportation Strategy (January 29)
Does America have a transportation strategy? This week's guest on Smart City discusses what realtors, civic leaders, urban planners and non-profit organizations are doing to tackle the problem of how we get around.

Rethinking the Interstate (January 29)
What if we used our 46,000 miles of highway as the backbone of a new 21st-century infrastructure? More from Metropolis Magazine.

Farming in Urbanizing Areas (January 29)
A recent report on the problems and opportunities of sustaining agriculture in urbanizing areas includes a case study of efforts in King County.

The Suburban Challenge (January 29)
Washington needs to recognize that many of the country's biggest problems—and biggest opportunities—have moved beyond the city limits to the burbs. More from Newsweek.

Massive Collaboration (January 29)
Will ‘Massive Collaboration’ Work for You? New Web-based collaboration tools offer ways for governments to tap the wisdom of crowds. More from Governing.

Web Sightings: Form-Based Codes (January 29)
In recent years, form-based codes have emerged as an alternative approach to traditional zoning codes for regulating land development. Conventional zoning codes emphasize segregating land use types into different zones and controlling the intensity of development within each zone through use of minimum or maximum standards. Form-based codes focus on specifying the physical form of development that the community wants. Form-based codes tend to be more flexible regarding what uses are permitted in a particular location, but are prescriptive about the form and appearance of development. This month's Web Sightings focuses on form-based zoning:

Paradise LOSt: How Long Will the City Keep Us Stuck in Our Cars? (January 29)
LOS (Level of Service Standard) analysis seems like science, free from political or ideological considerations, the perfect traffic-engineering tool to rationalize our cities, but the methodology behind it is far from precise. More from Streetsblog.

Critical Operations Power Systems: Success of the Imagination (January 22)
Article 708 of the National Electric Code: Critical Operations Power Systems, presents an opportunity to apply national business continuity practices to the design, construction, and maintenance of needed emergency power facilities at the local level. More from Public Management.

Green Building Impact Report (January 22)
The Green Building Impact Report from GreenerBuildings.com is the first-ever integrated assessment of the land, water, energy, material and indoor environmental impacts of the LEED standards.

Community Matters (January 22)
A recent ICMA Management Perspective report discusses why community building is important to cities and counties and what can be done to foster leadership, accountability, and participation in this critical endeavor.

Transit: Long-Scorned, Key to Metros’ Future? (January 15)
Public transit was scorned by vast majorities of Americans for a half century after World War II. But might it become the central development key for America’s 21st century cities and their metro regions? More from Citiwire.

Malls, the Future of Housing? (January 15)
As inner cities are starting to see condo projects go rental or remain unsold, and some new suburban subdivisions are settling into modern ghost towns as the foreclosure crisis deepens, the one bright spot in the housing market might just be here: at the mall. More from Housingwire.

Report on Successful Affordable Housing Strategies (January 15)
A new report prepared for the National Association of Home Builders, Research on State and Local Means of Increasing Affordable Housing, identifies a number of innovative land use and financial strategies being used by state and local governments to increase the supply of affordable housing.

Complete Streets Aim to Please All Users (January 08)
For years, transportation planners have designed roads with enough room for bicyclists, motor vehicles, pedestrians and buses. Recently, though, communities have begun unifying those efforts under a set of shared policies called Complete Streets. More from American City & County.

Through the Dark Clouds: Happiness in ‘08 (January 08)
It’s time to celebrate happiness. The chemistry of positive, joyful human interaction. Physical spaces that help lighten lives. More from Citiwire.

The Ellis Island Economy (January 08)
The next time you buy a pair of jeans from Forever 21, you might consider that the retail clothier was founded by a Korean immigrant to the United States. More from The Next American City.

Smart City - Christmas in the City (December 18)
This week Smart City kick starts the holiday season with a program about celebrating the holidays in an urban environment.

Bloggerly Love (December 18)
Techies and their interactive tools may be the way to lure tourists to local fairs and state parks. More from Governing.

For Modern Urban Growth, Don't Forget the Ballpark and River Walk (December 18)
Can urban amenities -- like ballparks, aquariums and river walks -- help stabilize U.S. cities and improve their economic outlooks? More from Knowledge@Wharton.

Web Sightings – Transportation Planning (December 18)
This month we’ve selected sites and organizations from the vast array of resources that can help counties and cities prepare regional and local transportation plans.

As a starting point, MRSC has a comprehensive Web page on this topic: Transportation Planning and Policy Development

Federal and State Agencies

  • Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program, U.S. Department of Transportation - Collaborative effort of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); provides information, training, and technical assistance to help transportation professionals create effective transportation plans and programs. Information on Statewide, Metropolitan, and Rural and Small Communities transportation planning.
  • Federal Transportation Policy Framework, prepared by the Florida Department of Transportation - Links to federal codes and regulations, and related U.S. Department of Transportation information.
  • Transportation Planning Office, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) - Links to state transportation plan, state highway plan, route development plans, trends report, guidebooks, and more.

Regional and Metropolitan Transportation Planning

Local Transportation Planning

Finally a Green Light For Smart Infrastructure? (December 11)
Even as America plunges into recession, a bright shaft of light has appeared.It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity, driven by a popular president-elect, to mount a massive national infrastructure rebuilding program. More from Citwire.

Euroburbia: A Personal View (December 11)
Contrary to the mythology embraced by romantics among planners and ‘green’ politicians, urban areas of Europe sprawl just as much as any American or Western city. More from New Geography.

Can the Can (December 04)
The idea that graffiti-spraying and other forms of low-level delinquency promote further bad behavior has now been tested experimentally. More from The Economist.

Return on Perception (December 04)
Four key elements of urban design create value: architecture, green spaces, water settings, and transportation. More from Urban Land.

Homeless Camps Increase Nationwide (November 25)
In January 2007, the nation's sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons numbered 671,888, according to a report released in April by the Washington-based National Coalition for the Homeless. More from American City & County.

Zoning for Affordability (November 25)
One of the ways that local governments regulate residential development is through minimum lot size requirements. More from Breakthroughs.

For Sale: 200,000-Square-Foot Box (November 25)
What happens to big-box buildings when a retailer abandons them? More from Slate.

Ten Best Planning Books - 2009 (November 25)
Planetizen recently released their eighth annual list of the ten best books in the planning field with titles covering some of the most timely issues in planning.

Self-Reliant Cities - Energy and the Transformation of Urban America (November 20)
Originally published in 1982, The New Rules Project is making available, as a free download, "Self-Reliant Cities" since many of its discussions are as relevant today as they were 25 years ago.

Is The Mall Dead? (November 20)
With lighter wallets and heavier burdens, Americans are rethinking their conspicuous consumption. That's bad news for retailers. More from Newsweek.

Smart City - Tall Buildings and Public Spaces (November 20)
This week on Smart City: Public space is important in both cities and in buildings. This week's guests include two people who are attempting to re-imagine those public spaces both inside and out.

Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook (November 13)
The National Civic League's Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook lays out the framework of the successful community planning processes used by the National Civic League and others across the country.

Green Strategies Spur Rebirth of American Cities (November 13)
U.S. cities have been using green planning to spark economic development, helping create a real urban renaissance in America. With a new administration soon to arrive in Washington, these same approaches may finally start being used on a national scale. More from Environment 360.

Preparing for Disasters (November 07)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Preparing for Disasters, includes two essays reflecting different perspectives on preparing for and working in large-scale emergencies.

Urban Stormwater Management Report (November 07)
A new report from the National Research Council, Urban Stormwater Management in the United States (PDF 10.8MB), provides a description of the history of stormwater management in the United States and a number of recommendations on how stormwater management can be improved to achieve better environmental outcomes.

The Fallacy of Freeways (November 07)
In the heyday of the ‘50s and ‘60s, low gasoline prices and readily available federal money influenced American urban designers to the point of delusion, causing them to make a regrettable decision. More from Next American City.

New Malls, Old Ideas (November 07)
With a handful of new retail projects, several major architects are attempting to bring the much derided mall into the 21st century. But is good design enough? More from Metropolis Magazine.

Government in 3D (October 30)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Government in 3D: How Public Leaders Can Draw on Virtual Worlds, explores how cutting-edge government organizations are using 3-dimensional virtual worlds on the Internet to conduct training, recruit new employees, and educate the public.

Once A Wal-Mart: The New Lives Of Big Boxes (October 30)
Across the country, communities are turning abandoned big-box stores like Kmart and Wal-Mart into churches, schools, libraries — even museums devoted to everything from Spam to Route 66. More from National Public Radio.

Impact Fees and Housing Affordability (October 30)
A new publication prepared for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Impact Fees & Housing Affordability, examines different impact fee programs, and provides recommendations to reduce their adverse effects on housing affordability.

States, Cities Step Up Climate Change Responses (October 23)
Before the fiscal crisis, there was the global climate crisis. After the fiscal crisis, we’ll still have the global climate crisis — for the rest of our lives. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Southeast Florida: A Preview of America’s Future (October 23)
Consistent with its role as an international gateway, southeast Florida is becoming more diverse, and early signs indicate that its population might be getting younger as the region changes from a destination for seniors to one for families and young professionals from all points of the globe. More from Urban Land.

Why Can't We Build an Affordable House? (October 23)
The housing market is in tatters, and house prices continue to fall precipitously in many parts of the country, so it might seem a strange time to bring up the subject of housing affordability. More from The Wilson Quarterly.

Turns out There's Good News on Main St. (October 23)
Forced into belt-tightening, Americans are likely to strengthen our family and community ties and to center our lives more closely on the places where we live. More from New Geography.

Growth Management WAC Update Project (October 23)
The Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (DCTED) is updating the Growth Management chapters of the Washington Administrative Code and needs your input. More from DCTED.

Down on the Farm (October 16)
As an economic development strategy, agriculture usually looks like a loser. More from Governing.

Sustainability and Survival (October 16)
Managing development to meet the needs of the present without compromising the future is no longer a luxury. More from Governing.

Reconsidering the Trailer Park (October 16)
A new study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development finds that manufactured housing (also known as mobile homes), despite their reputation, offer important advantages for low-income. More from CityScape.

‘Shared-Space’ Streets Cross the Atlantic (October 16)
Cities in the western and eastern US are starting to let motorists and pedestrians deal with one another more intuitively. More from New Urban News.

New Report on Transit Oriented Development (TOD) (October 16)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board, Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking, and Travel, explores the demographics of transit-oriented development residents and employers, and their motives for locating in TODs, as well as the travel characteristics of residence before and after moving to a TOD.

Design Recommendations for Regional Market-Based Cap-and-Trade Program (October 09)
The Western Climate Initiative (WCI) today announced recommendations for the design of a regional market-based cap-and-trade program. The Final Design Recommendations can be viewed at the WCI website.

Eco-Cities: Urban Planning for the Future (October 09)
Massive developments proposed for the U.S., China and Abu Dhabi aim to reduce or even eliminate the environmental cost of city living. More from Scientific American.

Portland Sets the Pace for Sustainability (October 09)
Portland, Ore., is the most sustainable city in the nation, according to San Francisco-based SustainLane's U.S. City Rankings. More from American City & County.

Multimodal Level of Service Analysis for Urban Streets (October 09)
A new publication from the Transportation Research Board, Multimodal Level of Service Analysis for Urban Streets, explores a method for assessing how well an urban street serves the needs of all of its users.

America's Best Healthy Places to Retire (October 09)
U.S. News writers profile 10 healthy retirement spots around the country. More from U.S. News.

The Bad News About Green Architecture (October 09)
Sustainable buildings are virtuous, but they can be ugly. Only a few designs are truly great. More from Newsweek.

What's Your GPCD? (October 09)
Want to strike up a lively conversation with an urban water efficiency professional? Try this: “So, what’s your GPCD?” More from Water Efficiency.

New Report out on Costs of Land Use Regulation (October 09)
The Washington chapter of the American Planning Association has a paper out -- "Observations On the Costs of Land Use Regulations and Growth Management" (pdf). For anyone interested in housing affordability or growth management, the paper is definitely worth a look.

Court Sides with Locals on Wireless Siting (October 02)
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed itself earlier this month saying that counties and cities can regulate the placement and appearance of wireless poles and towers. More from NACo's County News.

Harnessing the Power of the Arts (October 02)
Cities and counties that invest in the arts reap the additional benefits of jobs, economic growth, and a quality of life that positions those areas to compete in our 21st-century creative economy. More from Public Management.

Good Question! (October 02)
Regular users of this site know that we feature an "inquiry of the week" on the MRSC home page (see right-hand column). We have now incorporated a compilation of these questions and responses into the MRSC Index. The MRSC Index is a one-stop listing of all web pages, documents and inquiries that we have on any given topic. Browse the index by topic or search it by keyword.

Local Government Budget Library (October 02)
MRSC maintains an extensive collection of local government budgets organized by city, county and special purpose districts. We also link to online budgets (along with other documents and services) within the profiles that we maintain for each city and county.

Local Government Permitting Best Practices Report (October 02)
The Washington State Governor’s Office of Regulatory Assistance (ORA) conducted a series of outreach sessions to collect best practices for local government permitting. The report is now available on ORA's Web site.

Follow the LEEDer (September 18)
Portland’s Gerding Edlen Development continues to break new ground in green design. More from Metropolis Magazine.

Putting Out the Vacancy Sign (September 18)
Rather than the usual campaigns municipalities run to lure new residents or attract industries, Federal Way is running an economic-development campaign to fill its 500,000 square feet of empty office space.

Green Infrastructure Rising (September 11)
The future of stormwater has arrived, and that future is green. Green infrastructure, that is. More from Planning.

Elderly at the Wheel (September 11)
In the next 20 years the number of elderly drivers — persons 70 and over — is predicted to triple in the United States, and statistics show that older drivers are more likely than younger ones to be involved in multi-vehicle crashes, particularly at intersections. More from Governing.

Smart City (September 11)
This week on Smart City, Alan Ehrenhalt, executive editor of Governing Magazine, talks about a new trend in America where people with financial options about where they live are moving to cities, while those with less money are moving to the edges of metro areas.

Brownfields and Land Revitalization Conference (September 11)
The Washington Department of Ecology's Toxics Cleanup Program invites you to participate in the State's first-ever Brownfield Conference, October 21-22 in Tacoma.

Crossing the Rubicon (September 11)
On Sunday, September 07, 2008, an Administration philosophically committed to the "free market" nationalized the U.S. housing finance system. We're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. More from the Urban Land Institute.

Revival by Restaurant (September 04)
Downtowns used to be the place to shop. Now, they’re the place to eat. More from Governing.

City Curbs On Cars: Now Accelerating (September 04)
For close to a century, the automobile has so boldly seized Americans’ imagination — sparking the economy, paving the continent, designing our neighborhoods — that even the thought of curbing its dominion seems unnatural. But realism says this century simply can’t be a repeat of the heavily motorized 20th. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

New Feature - National News Clippings (September 04)
We've added a new feature to our "Local Governments in the News" section below. Now, in addition to our regular local news source clippings, we will also be featuring news clippings from various national news sources highlighting current events, trends and other news affecting Washington city and county governments and special districts.

Place Making Around the World (August 28)
Asking the right questions of a community will be one of the most difficult aspects of shifting to a place-making perspective in development projects around the world. More from Urban Land.

Teardowns and McMansions (August 28)
In an effort to protect historic neighborhoods, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has developed an online resource guide to help community leaders identify approaches and best practices for managing teardowns.

Extreme Seattle (August 28)
New demographic figures make clear what a statistical outlier Seattle is, with few families, few kids, high education, and rapid gentrification. More from Crosscut.

Vancouver May Be Livable, But It's Not Happy (August 28)
A groundbreaking study found that, despite their glorious mountains and ocean, mild weather, good health, Olympic future, and all the livability accolades, Vancouverites are not very happy. More from Vancouver Magazine.

Web Sightings - Everything Green (August 28)
Web Sightings - Everything Green In a time of high energy costs and concern about climate change, communities are embracing a variety of green strategies. The following are some of our favorite “green” sites:

MRSC Web pages

National Green Resources

Washington State and Local Resources

Global Winners Chosen for Sustainable Cities Award (August 19)
Nine ‘outstanding’ programs from around the world have been chosen as winners at the first ever Sustainable Cities Awards. More from Sustainablog.

Romancing the Factory (August 19)
Forget about the brightly lit movie complex and pedestrian shopping patterns. The New Economy isn’t for everyone. More from Governing.

Seniors Facing High Gas Prices Find Giving Up Their Cars Tough (August 19)
AARP finds that 29% of older Americans polled say they are now walking as a way to avoid high gas prices, but 40% say the sidewalks in their area are inadequate. More from Market Watch.

In Focus for Councilmembers and Commissioners (August 19)
MRSC's bi-weekly In Focus e-newsletter is an excellent way for your elected officials to stay informed about the latest news, research, events and trends affecting Washington city and county governments. Forward a copy of this newsletter to your elected officials or sign them up today.

Report on Municipal Green Building Policies (August 13)
The Environmental Law Institute has issued a report providing a detailed review of selected municipal green building policies that address private-sector development. More from the Environmental Law Institute.

High Gas Prices Cause Transit Surge (August 07)
With gas prices creeping past $4 a gallon, city and state transit agencies are reporting surges in ridership. More from American City & County.

Data and Decisions (August 07)
A new report from the Brookings Institution, Data and Decisions: Parcel Level Information Changing the Way Business Gets Done, shows how the accelerated development of electronic land information systems in our cities creates opportunities for important improvements in land management and community development. More from Brookings.

Trading Places (August 07)
Fueled by the changing mores of the young and by gasoline prices fast approaching $5-per-gallon, the massive outward migration of the affluent from urban centers that characterized the second half of the twentieth century is coming to an end. More from The New Republic.

Watch WalMart Spread Across the American Landscape (August 07)
Flowing Data used zip codes and other data to create an animated map showing the growth of WalMart from the first store in Arkansas in 1962 until today, when the map is covered with stores. More from Flowing Data.

NATOA’s Broadband Principles (July 24)
The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) has published their concise “Broadband Principles,” outlining the need for a national broadband policy and for local governments to take all possible steps to provide fiber to the premises for their communities.

Ahead of the Curve (July 24)
Long before it was cool to be green, King County, Wash., Executive Ron Sims was interested in environmental issues. More from American City & County.

Older Cities Hold On to More People, Census Shows (July 24)
Newly released U.S. Census Bureau population data for U.S. cities show a new twist on a well-known theme that could be good news for older cities hoping to reverse population declines of the past. More from Brookings.

Walk Score: Every Big-City Neighborhood in America (July 24)
Here it is … the largest 40 cities in America, ranked by their walkability. Plus, every single neighborhood in those cities -- all 2,508 of them -- rank-ordered for your walking pleasure. More from Sightline.

Diversity and the Changing Face of Suburbia (July 24)
American suburbs have grown so immense and diverse, now housing more than half the U.S. population, that no out-of-date stereotypes can capture their complexity, meaning or future direction. More from Next American City.

Zero-Carbon Cities (July 17)
As cities around the world look to slash their carbon emissions, several new cities provide a glimpse of the strategies and challenges of designing cities for the post-carbon age. More from Urban Land.

GIS - More than Mapping (July 17)
From the basic to the complex, GIS is helping communities in a variety of ways. It is even saving lives. More from Planning Magazine.

Home Prices Drop More Steeply Outside Cities (July 17)
In some parts of the country, house prices are dropping faster outside cities rather than inside them. NPR's Morning Edition Co-host Ari Shapiro talks to William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, about the housing markets that are cooling fastest, and why.

Quick Links to City/County Information (July 17)
MRSC recently expanded the types of key documents (e.g., budgets and comp plans) and services (e.g., council broadcasts and online service request forms) that we track in our "city profiles" page. Use these profiles for quick access to city and town documents and services. For county information, see our "county profiles" page.

10 Greenest Places to Retire (July 03)
Parks can make even the densest and driest locales seem like cities in gardens. More from U.S. News.

Climate Protection Strategies - Best Practices Guide (July 03)
A new report prepared for the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Summit in Seattle, Climate Protection Strategies and Best Practices Guide, reviews efforts by cities to conserve energy and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that threaten our planet.

Sustainable Community Development Code -- Beta (July 03)
The Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute has released a beta version of the Sustainable Community Development Code, a guidebook that provides extensive resources encompassing the broad scope of sustainable living.

Official 2008 Population Figures Released by OFM (July 03)
The population figures used for distribution of state-shared revenues were released by the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) on June 30. Detailed information on population estimates for cities, towns and counties may be found on OFM's Official April 1, 2008 Population Estimates Web page.

Gentrification: Not Ousting the Poor? (July 03)
A new study conducted by University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Pittsburgh and Duke University says that the scourge of gentrification is greatly exaggerated. More from Time.

Biking Needs a Boost in American Cities (June 26)
The US, where cycling is risky and rare, can learn from a Rutgers study of the top cycling countries in Europe. More from New Urban News.

Where New Urbanism is Strong — and Where it’s Weak (June 26)
Fifteen years after its official founding, New Urbanism is growing nationwide, but in some places more than others.More from New Urban News.

Tips from the Top (June 26)
Attractive communities come in all shapes and sizes, but the formula for making them flourish always includes a little creative vision, a lot of hard, dirty work, and generous amounts of public support. More from American City & County.

New Sustainable Stormwater Best Management Practices Web Site (June 26)
The Water Environment Research Federation web site is designed to encourage and facilitate the integration of stormwater best management practices into development projects in your area.

Smart City - Driven to the Brink (June 26)
This week's guest on Smart City is Joe Cortright, an economic analyst for Impresa Consulting in Portland Oregon, and author of a new report, Driven to the Brink, showing how high gas prices are devaluing homes that are further away from amenity-rich city centers.

Transit Oriented Development 202: Station Area Planning (June 26)
Station Area Planning: How To Make Great Transit-Oriented Places is the first in a series of ''TOD 202'' guidebooks from Reconnecting America that promote best practices in transit-oriented development.

As Housing Market Weakens, Homes are Getting Smaller (June 26)
The downturn in the housing market, coupled with changing lifestyles, has produced a decline in the size of a typical home. More from AIArchitect.

Youth Engagement in Planning (June 12)
In a growing number of circumstances, children and youth are taking a more active role in shaping their communities. More from The Commissioner.

Commuting to Opportunity (June 12)
A recent report from the Brookings Institution, Commuting to Opportunity: The Working Poor and Commuting in the United States, looks at the commuting and housing expenses of the working poor compared to other workers. More from the Brookings Institution.

The Rediscovery of Place (June 12)
Despite all predictions, old-fashioned geographical community is making a comeback. More from Governing.

Waterfront and Center (June 12)
With renewed interest in revitalizing their waterfronts, many cities are turning their attention to parks and green spaces as critical elements to success. More from Parks & Recreation Magazine.

Urban Planning and E-Government (June 12)
Despite innovations in many areas of governance, the use of the information technology in general and the Internet specifically to facilitate citizen involvement in urban planning has been limited. More from the Goodspeed Update.

Let the Sun Shine In (June 05)
Recent federal funding encourages planning departments to take the lead in residential solar programs. More from Planning Magazine.

An Age of Transformation (June 05)
America's suburbs are coming to resemble its city centres. That is both good news and bad. More from The Economist.

As Fuel Prices Rise, More Turn to Transit (June 05)
As lawmakers struggle to find answers to surging fuel prices, states are weighing alternatives to help their citizens and use of mass transit has skyrocketed across the country. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Big-Box Stores Slim Down for Urban Settings (June 05)
Big-box retailers across the country are becoming substantially more flexible about what kind of box they can use. More from Architectural Record.

Best Cities to Live, Work and Play (June 05)
Kiplinger's approach this year to picking the ten best cities in which to live and work was simple: Look for places with strong economies and abundant jobs, then demand reasonable living costs and plenty of fun things to do. More from Kiplinger's.

Eds, Meds and Urban Revival (May 29)
In many cities, a big university is becoming the economic engine that a big corporation used to be. More from Governing.

Generations of Planning Commissioners (May 29)
Planning and zoning commissions need to be diverse to make sure the broad range of issues and concerns are considered. That requires commissioners who are from different parts of town, different walks of life, different ethnic backgrounds, and now, different age groups. More from Planetizen.

Soon You Won't Be Able to 'Drive Until You Qualify' (May 29)
When gasoline costs $5 a gallon, and diesel $6, who is going to buy a house in the exurbs? More from the California Planning & Development Report.

It Takes a Village to Build a Great City (May 23)
Most of us want to live in places where we can easily walk to stores, restaurants and public spaces. But these kind of classic neighborhoods are often illegal under modern zoning codes. More from Making Places.

Easing the Pain—and Cost—of Land Use Disputes (May 23)
A new report by the Public Policy Research Institute at the University of Montana and the Consensus Building Institute, Responding to Streams of Land Use Disputes: A Systems Approach, provides strategies to help municipalities prevent land use disputes from erupting.

Receive RSS Feeds of In Focus (May 23)
We’ve added another option for you to receive information from MRSC: RSS Feeds. Simply click on the RSS button MRSC In Focus RSS Feed to create an “MRSC In Focus” folder in your email program or RSS reader. You will automatically begin receiving updates to our main Focus page, “Local Governments in the News,” the four Advisor columns, and our “What’s New” section. You can unsubscribe at any time by simply deleting the folder from your RSS reader or email program.

New Report Examines Impacts of Mortgage Meltdown on Rental Housing (May 15)
A new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS), America’s Rental Housing: The Key to a Balanced National Policy, examines recent mortgage market events in the context of long-standing affordability problems that plague millions of renters. More from JCHS.

Bellevue Rated Best Place to Live and Launch (May 15)
Citing its growth as a high-tech hub, balanced by cozy neighborhoods and nearly 100 parks, Fortune Small Business rates Bellevue, WA the best place in the United States to live and launch a new business. More from Fortune Small Business.

Working in Wiki (May 15)
People who learn how to harness wikis and other new tools to the benefit of government, will be hailed as the next great visionaries. More from Governing.

Counties Take Different Routes to Same ‘Green’ Goals (May 09)
The “greening” of America’s county buildings is proceeding apace on a number of fronts. More from NACo's County News.

Guidebook on Demand Response Transportation (May 09)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation is designed to help demand-response transportation (DRT) systems to measure, assess, and improve their performance. More from the TRB.

Smart Growth Technical Assistance Program Summaries (May 09)
The U.S. EPA is posting summaries of the technical assistance projects conducted under the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program. More from the EPA.

Smart City - Green Buildings (May 09)
This week on Smart City Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels talks about his efforts to convince 800 mayors to sign on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and to make Seattle a model for sustainability.

AIA Study on Design of Transportation Projects (May 09)
Moving Communities Forward, a project by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), measures the benefits that well-designed transportation projects bring to communities. More from the AIA.

Driven to the Brink (May 09)
A new analysis from CEOs for Cities shows that high gas prices are not only implicated in the bursting of the housing bubble, but that the higher cost of commuting has already re-shaped the landscape of real estate value between cities and suburbs. More from CEO's for Cities.

City Road Networks Grow like Biological Systems (May 01)
French and US physicists have shown that the road networks in cities evolve driven by a simple universal mechanism despite significant cultural and historical differences. More from New Scientist.

Is Congestion Pricing Ready for Prime Time? (May 01)
Acceptance of congestion pricing is increasing, prompted by the growing awareness of gridlock, local governments' well-publicized fiscal distress, and a broadening knowledge of climate change. More from Planning Magazine.

Housing + Transportation Affordability Index (May 01)
A new interactive mapping website launched by the Center for Neighborhood Technology in partnership with The Brookings Institution shows how affordability changes from neighborhood to neighborhood based on housing and transportation costs.

New Puget Sound Growth Management Plan Already Outgrown? (May 01)
The Puget Sound Regional Council's recently released Vision 2040 plan may have been outrun by seven years of population growth in the very outlying areas the plan is intended to protect. More from Crosscut.

2008 PAW Annual Spring Conference (April 25)
The Planning Association of Washington (PAW) Annual Spring Conference, "The Power of Place", will be held at Campbell's Resort on the shores of Lake Chelan from April 30 to May 1, 2008.

Free Water Quality and Smart Growth Toolkit (April 23)
The "Balancing Water Quality and Smart Growth Goals Toolkit" CD-ROM from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) is a compilation of valuable resources and ideas, including a new webcast on "Protecting Water Quality While Meeting Smart Growth Goals." More form ICMA.

Conservation Through the Ballot Box (April 23)
Between 1998 and 2006, some 1,550 referenda for the conservation of open space appeared on state, county, and municipal ballots across the United States, and their success rate was very high: nearly 80 percent of these measures passed, many by a wide margin. More from Land Lines.

Report on State Wetland Programs (April 23)
A new report out from the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), State Wetland Protection: Status, Trends & Model Approaches, examines the core elements of all 50 state wetland programs and highlights best practices. More from ELI.

Homeward Bound (April 23)
Foreclosure affects more than individual families; it also can diminish the quality of life for entire neighborhoods, disrupt the local market for ownership and rental properties, and destabilize the municipal finance system. More from American City & County.

Two Faces of Foreclosure (April 23)
Mortgage meltdown is a problem everywhere. In some places, it’s a disaster. More from Governing.

Virtual Traffic (April 23)
How will the rise of the virtual work place, where workers operate in small-office settings with PCs and communication technology as key back up tools, affect traffic patterns? More from Forbes.

New Urbanists Point the Way Forward (April 23)
The New Urbanists have changed the conversation, but they haven’t changed the world. At least, not yet. More from City Journal.

Creating "Cooler" Communities - Papers Available (April 21)
The program papers from the Association of Washington Cities' "Creating "Cooler' Communities - Municipal Responses to Climate Change" workshop held on April 16, 2008, in Tacoma are now available.

2008 Washington Economic Development Association Conference (April 17)
The Washington Economic Development Association will be holding their Spring Conference at the Lynnwood Convention Center on April 29 through May 1, 2008.

Riding on the Future (April 17)
Faced with a projected population increase of 130 million people over the next 20 years and poor planning that has put its cities behind those of the rest of the world in developing mass transit infrastructure, the United States is trying to catch up. More from Urban Land.

EPA Launches Environmental Indicators Gateway (April 17)
The U.S. Environmental Protectin Agency (EPA) recently launched the Environmental Indicators Gateway Web site to provide enhanced public access to environmental and health information generated by EPA.

Building Cities in the Virtual World (April 09)
The standard methods of outreach and collaboration that rely on traditional media, public meetings, mailings, neighborhood canvassing, and charrettes are not expected to give way anytime soon, but Web 2.0 offers creative ways to engage stakeholders who otherwise might be overlooked. More from Planning.

Green Building Course: LEED for Homes Program Review (April 09)
The LEED for Homes Program Review course being offered by the U.S. Green Building Council offers the knowledge needed for successful participation in the LEED for Homes initiative. The one-day workshop will be held in Kirkland on May 5, 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Does Your Community Have a Redevelopment Vision? (April 09)
Using a set of best practices and technical assistance, the Michigan Suburbs Alliance Redevelopment Ready Communities® (RRC) program helps localities build deliberate, fair, and consistent development processes from the inside out—and to effectively communicate them. More from Public Management.

Reduction in New Housing Starts Adversely Affects Local Governments (April 09)
More than a loss of property tax revenue due to foreclosures, an ICMA survey shows that reductions in new housing starts are adversely affecting local governments. More from ICMA.

On the Front Lines of Positive Change (April 09)
Since 2005, hundreds of mayors across all 50 states have signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, thereby initiating important first steps in their own communities and playing a major role in shaping the national discussion. More from Urban Land Green.

Survey on Local Government Promotion of Healthy Eating and Active Living (April 09)
ICMA's Active Living Approaches by Local Government, 2007 reveals the tools and strategies that local governments consider to be the most helpful in addressing active living goals and combating obesity--and the barriers that impede their efforts. More from ICMA.

Building Green for Today’s Consumers (April 09)
Recycled materials, low-flow faucets, and upgraded mechanical systems are just some of the sustainable strategies being incorporated into green multifamily housing today. More from Multfamily Trends.

Understanding How Individuals Make Travel and Location Decisions (April 09)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Understanding How Individuals Make Travel and Location Decisions: Implications for Public Transportation, explores a broader social context for individual decision making related to residential location and travel behavior. More from the TRB.

Green Building Incentives that Work (March 27)
A report by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, Green Building Incentives that Work - A Look at How Local Governments are Incentivizing Green Development, provides an overview of local and state incentives for green building construction by the private sector.

The Effects of Inclusionary Zoning on Local Housing Markets (March 27)
A new study released by the Center for Housing Policy provides local decision-makers with valuable evidence on the impacts of inclusionary zoning – a popular but often-controversial affordable housing policy. More from the Center for Housing Policy.

Downtown Revitalization Training Institute (March 27)
The Washington State Dept. of Community, Trade and Economic Development's 22nd Annual Downtown Revitalization Training Institute will be held in Wenatchee on May 13-15, 2008. Program and registration information are available here.

Whose Property Rights? (March 27)
The clash between private interests and public welfare in Oregon raises a question that has vexed the nation since its founding. More from Metropolis Magazine.

Our Aging Infrastructure: Voices For Change Mount Quickly (March 27)
The infrastructure issue — the long shadow thrown across America’s future by deteriorating roadways, bridges, railroads, water systems and schools — finally seems to be getting hot. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

The Cost of Clean Streams (March 27)
Across the country, local officials facing rising costs to satisfy federal requirements for controlling stormwater runoff are searching for ways to fund the costly measures. More from American City & County.

Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing (March 20)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has prepared an new guidebook, Creating a Task Force on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing, to help state and local governments identify and reduce barriers to affordable housing.

Smart City - Charettes (March 20)
This week's episode of Smart City includes a discussion about the maturing role charrettes are playing in the planning and design of communities with Bill Lennertz of the National Charrette Institute.

Is Your City a Great City? (March 13)
The Project for Public Spaces offers a checklist to see how your city measures up. More from Making Places.

Locate Sample Ordinances, Contracts, RFPs (March 13)
You can use MRSC's search system to locate a wide variety of local government documents. Note the new options to the right of your search results that allow you to limit your results by agency type, population range, region, form and class of government. Watch a brief tutorial to learn more about using our advanced search features.

Feeding the Meters and the Homeless (March 13)
Denver's Donation Meter Program collects change for initiatives that provide meals, job training, substance-abuse counseling, housing and other programs.

EPA Launches New Multimedia Portal Website (March 13)
The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new web-based multimedia portal to serve as a one-stop location for environmental video, audio/podcasts, and photography.

Conservation Creates Green Collar Jobs (March 13)
As local governments pass policies and create programs to encourage “green” building and sustainable development, they also are fostering the development of jobs in construction, horticulture, hazardous waste remediation and energy conservation. More from American City & County.

Google Earth Offers 3-D Modeling for Smaller Cities (March 06)
Google is inviting local governments to produce 3-D data that they can integrate into Google Earth and provide a rich, 3-D representation of their locality. More from Government Technology.

Smart City - On the Riverfront (March 06)
The redevelopment of riverfronts has been one of the drivers of urban revitalization in many U.S. cities. This week's guests on Smart City are working to bring new life to two of those riverfronts.

AWC Training – Municipal Responses to Climate Change (March 06)
On April 16, 2008 AWC is holding a one-day training session on Creating "Cooler" Cities – Municipal Responses to Climate Change at the Tacoma Convention Center.

Smart City - Main Streets (February 27)
This week's guests on Smart City are on the frontlines of making cities sustainable with their work on housing, mixed use development and Main Streets.

Stemming Foreclosures: No Time to Lose (February 27)
What can America’s cities do about the tsunami of home foreclosures engulfing so many communities? More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

EPA Issues Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Guide (February 27)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a new guidance document for construction site operators who require National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit coverage for their stormwater discharges. More from the EPA.

The Next Slum? (February 22)
The subprime crisis is just the tip of the iceberg. Fundamental changes in American life may turn today’s McMansions into tomorrow’s tenements. More from The Atlantic.

Cities: A Smart Alternative to Cars (February 22)
Creating compact communities—and eliminating the need to drive everywhere—may be the best way to slash greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. More from Business Week.

Transit Development's Chicken-or-Egg Hitch (February 22)
If development justifies transit, and transit justifies development, how can both be initiated at the same time? More from American City & County.

Spokane Fights Climate Change and Peak Oil Together (February 22)
Many cities have plans in place to reduce greenhouse gases, and a growing number are planning for declining global oil production. But the city of Spokane has become the first to tackle climate change and global oil depletion together. More from Post Carbon Cities.

Working GIS Miracles (February 22)
It took a catastrophe to do it, but Washoe County, Nevada, now has a fully coordinated GIS system that is making life easier for the entire staff. More from Planning.

Do You Really Want to be the Best? (February 14)
Cities see both benefits and drawbacks to being ranked a top place to live. More from Governing.

Reimagining Cities (February 14)
The latest issue of Science is dedicated to looking at cities, their development and the changing demographics that are shaping our urban lifestyles. More from Science Magazine.

Kirkland Wins "Healthy Community for Active Aging" Award (February 14)
The city of Kirkland recently received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s "Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Achievement" award. More from the city of Kirkland.

Web Sightings - Community-Supported Agriculture and the Local Food Movement (February 07)
Web Sightings - Community-Supported Agriculture and the Local Food Movement Interest in community-supported agriculture and local farmers markets has been growing as part of the trend toward sustainable agriculture. These are the subjects of this month's Web Sightings:

Community-Supported Agriculture

Local Food and Farmers Markets

For more information, see Washington Agriculture and the Economy, MRSC Web page.

Next-Generation Retail (February 07)
Looking for ways to differentiate their projects from the pack, innovative developers are inadvertently nearing the tipping point of a new retail age where customer convenience rules and the local entrepreneur is king. More from Urban Land.

Local Leaders in Sustainability (February 07)
The Local Leaders Report: A Study of Green Building Programs in Our Nation's Communities, from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) examines the current state of green building laws in American cities as of 2007. More from the AIA.

Planetizen Top 10 Books List, 2008 Edition (February 07)
Planetizen recently released their seventh annual list of the ten best books in the planning field with titles covering some of the most timely issues in planning. More from Planetizen.

Public Input, Wiki-Style (January 31)
Minneapolis is testing a fresh new approach to gathering public input. Frustrated by low attendance at public meetings, it has launched its first wiki — an online format that allows users to change the content of a document.

Online Ecological Assessment Database Available (January 31)
A new online database of ecological assessment methods has been developed through a cooperative agreement between the National Park Service and George Mason University.

American Institute of Architects 50to50 (January 31)
A new publication from the American Institute of Architects, "50to50" (Adobe Acrobat Document7.8MB), is a how-to resource intended to assist architects and the construction industry in achieving a minimum 50 percent reduction of fossil fuel consumption in buildings by 2010 and carbon neutrality by 2030.

Cities Work to Create Aging-Friendly Communities (January 31)
In recent years, America’s cities have increasingly recognized the necessity of becoming more “aging-friendly” — places where people can live their entire lives, if they so desire. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Urban Land Institute Report on Compact Development (January 24)
A new report from the Urban Land Institute, Compact Development - Changing the Rules to Make it Happen , presents a wide-ranging assessment of tools being used throughout the country to better support compact development through visioning, planning, and new regulations.

Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure (January 24)
A new publication from the U.S. EPA, Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure, describes an action strategy promoting the benefits of green infrastructure in mitigating overflows from combined and separate sewers and reducing runoff.

The State of the Union — Crumbling (January 24)
America's infrastructure is struggling, but from where will the funding and political will come to fix it? More from Stateline.

Green Community Resources (January 24)
Start big or small, but start planning a sustainable future for your community. More from The Commissioner.

Networks for Change (January 24)
This week's guests on Smart city are deeply engaged in understanding and building powerful social networks for change. More from Smart City.

Seattle Suburb Endures Growing Pains (January 17)
Once upon a time, Kirkland, Washington, was a quiet bedroom community on the east side of Seattle. Now condos, restaurants and boutiques are popping up, attracting many high-tech employees with discretionary income. More from NPR's Morning Edition

Growing Interest in Inclusionary Zoning (January 17)
Housing experts expect interest in inclusionary zoning to grow in markets with rising home prices and strong demand for workforce housing. More from ICMA's Management Perspective.

American Pastoral (January 17)
The biggest landscaped municipal park to be built in more than a century reveals much about how American attitudes to open space have changed. More from The Economist.

Web Sightings 2007 (January 17)
In case you missed them, here are all of our Web Sightings for 2007:

Ghost Malls (January 17)
Malls aren't turning into haunted houses just yet, but they may be on their way, thanks to the recent wholesale shuttering of national retail chains. More from Slate.

The Intersection of Trees and Safety (January 17)
In the automobile age, a real concern with safety has resulted in street tree standards that dictate long setbacks from intersections, ostensibly to achieve unobstructed sight lines for drivers. But are street trees the safety problem they are purported to be? More from Access.

For Whom the Road Tolls (January 17)
Here's a new way to create political support for congestion pricing on urban freeways: distribute the toll revenue to cities with the tolled freeways. More from Access.

Smart City - Sustainable Urbanism (January 17)
This week's guest on Smart City talks about how places grow, how we get from one place to another, and how we can live more sustainably.

Using Census Data for Transportation Planning (January 17)
A new guidebook from the Transportation Safety Board (TRB) explores incorporating the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data into the transportation planning processes at national, state, metropolitan, and local levels. More from the TRB.

Capital Planning for Resiliency (January 09)
Capital planning is central to enhancing a locality’s resiliency to extreme events — be they natural or an-made. More from Government Finance Review.

Converging Frontiers of Conservation Development (January 09)
Conservation development can offer developers and builders a strategy to meet increased housing demand while employing responsible management of natural resources. More from Urban Land Green.

Birth, Death and Shopping (January 02)
While malls continue to multiply outside America, they are gradually dying in the country that pioneered them. More from The Economist.

A Cautionary Tale (January 02)
Amid our green-building boom, why neglecting the old in favor of the new just might cost us dearly. More From Preservation.

It's Way Too Easy Being Green (January 02)
Critics of LEED—many of them architects who were green before green was cool—see a system that's easy to game and has more to do with generating good PR than saving the planet. More from Slate.

How Green is Your House? (January 02)
No matter how green your house is it can't really be described as environmentally friendly if it's part of a sprawling neighborhood that just adds to car dependency. More from Time.

Comments Invited on Draft Climate Change Recommendations (January 02)
The Washington Departments of Ecology (DOE) and Community, Trade, and Economic Development (CTED) invite you to submit your comments on draft recommendations for meeting the Washington Climate Change Challenge. More from DOE.

More Counties Make Majority-Minority Shift (January 02)
More than 50 percent of the population of nearly one in 10 counties across the country are minorities, including African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics and Native Americans, according to a report released in August by the U. S. Census Bureau. More from American City & County.

Smart Growth Tools (January 02)
Although smart growth makes financial and environmental sense for communities, it's not always easy to achieve. This week's guests on Smart City talk about smart growth and how to make it happen.

Home Foreclosures and the Local Government Tax Base (December 20)
A new report from The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL),estimates the monetary value of the losses resulting from the subprime mortgage crisis in terms of lower property value and a reduced tax base for local governments. More from CRL.

The Streetcar Surge (December 20)
Streetcars, popular again in a growing number of cities, have the potential to be a vital part of urban transportation systems. More from Governing.

Targeted Watershed Grants 2008 Puget Sound Initiative (December 20)
U.S. EPA Region 10 is soliciting proposals to support the protection and restoration of high valued Puget Sound aquatic resources in areas threatened by growth pressure through holistic watershed protection and management approaches. More from EPA.

Smart City - The Quality of Place (December 20)
The quality of places results from many factors. This week's guests on Smart City are experts in very different fields, both of which are deeply engaged in making better places. More from Smart City.

Fields of Dreams (December 20)
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington-based Brookings Institute, 450,000 brownfield sites, comprising more than 80,000 acres, currently blight America's cities. More from American City & County.

Cities Redo Streets for Pedestrians, Cyclists, Transit (December 13)
The "complete streets" movement, and the coalition that united behind it, are helping to usher in benefits for cyclists and pedestrians alike. More from New Urban News.

Fitting In on the Fringe (December 13)
Zoning issues and community opposition may be a factor in most building locations, but developers find that local governments are often more amenable to suburban infill development. More from Multifamily Trends.

Art, Culture, and Planning (December 13)
While there certainly are measurable financial benefits associated with cultural activities, arts and culture projects are also particularly well suited to strengthening the quality of community life. More from The Commissioner.

Local Warming (December 13)
It’s too late to stop climate change. What we can do is plan for it. More from Governing.

Temps Welcome (December 13)
Once considered purely a regulatory hassle, many cities are now taking a fresh look at the benefits offered by creative temporary uses. More from Planning Magazine.

A Field Survey of Walkable Urban Places (December 13)
A recent report from the Brookings Institution, Footloose and Fancy Free: A Field Survey of Walkable Urban Places in the Top 30 U.S. Metropolitan Areas, attempts to identify the number and location of "regional-serving" walkable urban places in the 30 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. More from Brookings.

The Case against Regional Growth-Management Planning (December 13)
A recently published report from the CATO Institute, The Planning Tax: The Case against Regional Growth-Management Planning, argues that growth-management planning makes housing unaffordable and contributes to a business-unfriendly environment that slows economic growth. More from the CATO Institute.

Going Green (December 13)
Local governments are pressuring the federal government by their examples and inventing and applying strategies that are creating new environmental policy, often without mandates. More from Public Management.

Back to Basics in Transportation Planning (November 28)
Rediscovering our roots can solve 21st Century traffic woes. More from the Project for Public Spaces.

Governor Announces Grants to Help Businesses Track Permits (November 28)
Governor Chris Gregoire recently announced $175,000 in grants to support local government efforts to develop electronic permit tracking systems to allow businesses and local leaders to find timely information about the status of land use and development projects. More from the Governor's Office.

Green Playbook (November 28)
The Playbook, a web-based resource, provides strategies, tips, and tools that cities and counties can use to take immediate action on climate change through: Green building, green neighborhoods, and sustainable infrastructure.

Building Character (November 28)
Many cities today are concerned about not having enough "there" there as they compete to attract businesses and residents or seek to create more attractive environments for current residents. More from American City & County.

Unreconstructed (November 28)
States are poised to spend billions on fixing infrastructure. They might want to fix the construction industry first. More from Governing.

Can LEED Survive the Carbon-Neutral Era? (November 28)
The rating system is beginning to gain wide acceptance, but critics now wonder whether the checklist approach can meet the daunting challenges ahead. More from Metropolis Magazine.

"Feeling Heard" a Key Factor in Citizen Participation (November 20)
The recurring theme among all cities that successfully involve citizens in the government process is that citizens feel heard. More from MuniNetGuide.

EPA's 2007 National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement (November 20)
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced the recipients of its 2007 National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement including an award for the Seattle Housing Authority.

A Magic Merger? — High Tech, Calmer Lifestyles (November 06)
Broadband. Telecommuting. Taming our roaring highways instead of multiplying them. Walking or cycling to work. Less tension, better health. "Work to live, not live to work." Could all those values come together? More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Is Water the Next Carbon? (November 06)
While discussions of reducing humans’ carbon footprint have only recently emerged, people have been conserving and reusing their water supplies for thousands of years. More from Urban Land.

2007 Growth and Transportation Survey (October 31)
A new survey shows that Americans prefer to spend more on mass transit and highway maintenance and less on new roads. More from Smart Growth America.

America's Most Sedentary Cities (October 31)
Forbes set out to discover which cities were the worst offenders when it came to leading a sedentary lifestyle. Their list is 20 cities long and is topped by Memphis and New Orleans. It also includes surprising entries like Miami and San Diego. More from Forbes.

Build, Crumble and Build More (October 31)
Why don’t we fix old roads and bridges? Because it’s more fun to make new ones. More from Governing.

Does Not Drain to Bay (October 31)
Using a revolutionary series of "natural drainage systems," Seattle is attempting to detain and slow stormwater by trying to mimic the forest floor and pasture that once covered its landscape. More from Terrain.

Collaborating With Developers to Make Strip Redevelopment a Reality (October 31)
Developers overhauling outdated community shopping centers say collaborating with suburban governments is essential to a successful redevelopment project. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Smart City - Demanding New Choices (October 31)
For the past 50 years drivable suburbanism has been the norm, coupled with decaying central cities. But that familiar pattern is reversing according to this week's guests on Smart City.

Transportation Finance at the Ballot Box (October 23)
A recent report from the Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE) shows that since 2000, few issues have proved to be as consistent a winner at the ballot box as measures related to transportation. More from CFTE.

Report Evaluates Local TDR Programs (October 23)
A report published by Resources for the Future, Transfer of Development (TDR) Rights in U.S. Communities: Evaluating Program Design, Implementation, and Outcome (Adobe Acrobat Document2288 KB), found that while over 140 local jurisdictions use TDR progams as a tool for achieving land preservation goals, successful implementation has often been difficult.

Transportation - A La Mode (October 23)
We need to look at economic and life-style questions when we decide on our next investments in infrastructure. More from Governing.

Metropolitan Travel Forecasting (October 23)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), "Metropolitan Travel Forecasting: Current Practice and Future Direction," examines metropolitan travel forecasting models that provide public officials with information to inform decisions on major transportation system investments and policies. More from the TRB.

Smart Growth Around America (October 23)
The Smart Growth Around America blog is a "one-stop source for the latest news from Smart Growth America" that showcases recent and developing smart growth issues from throughout the United States.

Downsize Me! Shrinking the McMansion Diet (October 17)
The McMansion phenomenon is likely to survive both the residential property slump and the popularity of green design, but communities are increasingly opting to regulate house size. More from the Architectural Record.

Smart City - Shaping the Urban Environment (October 17)
Many things influence the way we experience the urban environment - the history of the place, certainly its form, others who share the space with us, even the sounds and smells. This week's guests on Smart City discuss the trends shaping our urban environment.

Study: Americans Commute an Average 25 Minutes (October 17)
A new study shows that commutes have worsened over the last two decades because highways haven't kept pace with population growth and urban sprawl. More from National Public Radio's Morning Edition.

Hyping the Hip (October 17)
Cities need to attract both the "creative class" and blue-collar manufacturing to survive in the 21st century. More from Governing.

New Report on Housing for Working Families (October 17)
A new report from the Center for Housing Policy, "The Housing Landscape for America's Working Families, 2007," updates national trends on the number of working families paying more of their income for housing and/or living in dilapidated conditions.

Benefits of Conservation Development (October 17)
Conservation development can offer developers and builders a strategy to meet increased housing demand while employing responsible management of natural resources. More from Urban Land Green.

Communicating the Economic Benefits of Transportation (October 17)
A recent report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), "Examples of Best Practices for Communicating the Economic Benefits of Transportation," explores strategies and techniques that have been employed in the field to effectively communicate transportation’s importance to the economy. More from the TRB.

Court Rules on Local Shoreline Development Moratorium (October 11)
In a 5-4 decision, the state supreme court in Biggers v. City of Bainbridge Island overturned the city's moratorium on shoreline development. However, five justices held that local governments have authority to enact moratoria on shoreline development without being in conflict with the Shoreline Management Act. See concurring and dissenting opinions.

America's Most Stable Housing Markets (October 10)
Forbes Magazine recently released its list of the most stable housing markets in America placing Seattle, which continues to buck national housing trends, at the top. More from Forbes Magazine.

Redeveloping Strip Centers Vital for Cities' Economies (October 10)
Many first tier suburbs, those defined as beyond central cities but "inside the ring of developing suburbs and rural areas," are plagued with underperforming neighborhood centers, according to research by the National League of Cities. More from Nations' Cities Weekly.

APA's Great Places in America 2007 (October 10)
The American Planning Association named their first 10 Great Streets and 10 Great Neighborhoods, which includes Seattle's Pike Place neighborhood, designated through its new national program, Great Places in America. More from the APA.

Trend Points to Neighborhood Privatization (October 10)
While a complete change in the structure of local government is unlikely in the near future, the trend toward private neighborhood ownership is becoming increasingly evident. More from MuniNet Guide.

Webcast on Environmental Management Systems (October 10)
The International City/County Management Association's free "Environmental Management Systems: A Powerful Tool for Local Governments" Webcast, discusses how environmental management systems save on long-term costs and improve environmental compliance and performance.

Planning - All Online All the Time (October 03)
The best thing about Edmonton's new automated application and review process is that no special software is required. More from Planning Magazine.

New Publication on Smart Growth (September 19)
A new publication from The Smart Growth Network and the International City/County Management Association, This Is Smart Growth (Adobe Acrobat Document2464 KB), illustrates how communities can turn their visions, values, and aspirations into reality, using smart growth techniques to improve the quality of development.

Place Matters (September 19)
Spatial factors and location are often missed, but critical, pieces of the puzzle in developing public and private policies that support working families. More from the Urban Institute (Adobe Acrobat Document81 KB).

Up to $72 million available for EPA Brownfields Grants (September 19)
The EPA recently released proposed guidelines for submitting proposals for 2008 Brownfields Grants to mitigate and redevelop sites contaminated by petroleum, hazardous substances and other contaminants. More from NACo's County News.

Kirkland is Street Smart (September 11)
Cars dominate American roadways, but walkers, bikers and the disabled want more access. More from AARP Bulletin.

Metropolitan Travel Forecasting (September 11)
A Transportation Research Board (TRB) report, "Metropolitan Travel Forecasting: Current Practice and Future Direction," examines metropolitan travel forecasting models that provide public officials with information to inform decisions on major transportation system investments and policies. More from the TRB.

Smart Growth: The Opportunity for Managers to Lead (September 05)
Seven ways that local government managers can introduce and implement best practices for smart growth in their communities. More from Public Management.

Planning for Stormwater: Parking Lots (September 05)
The University of Connecticut's Planning for Stormwater website includes an overview of paved parking areas and their impact on stormwater runoff.

Transportation Vision and Strategies for the 21st Century (September 05)
A New Vision for the 21st Century is the fifth of seven reports developed by state transportation officials to provide information and policy recommendations to the the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission.

More Than 300 Counties Now "Majority-Minority" (August 28)
Nearly one in every 10 of the nation’s 3,141 counties has a population that is more than 50 percent minority. More from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Low Income Housing Assistance Reform (August 28)
A recent report from the Urban Land Institute, "Promoting Homeownership among Low-Income Households," (Adobe Acrobat Document375 KB) argues that the United States’ current system of low-income housing assistance is biased against homeownership and suggests new policies that would allow more low-income families to become homeowners.

Community Development - Change of Climate (August 28)
Emerging trends in five European cities suggest what could be ahead for the U.S. development environment. More from Urban Land.

Cities Design for Pedestrian Safety (August 28)
Many urban centers are revitalizing their downtown corridors, revamping commercial and entertainment areas and constructing new developments. To handle the increase of vehicle and pedestrian traffic in core areas, cities are introducing street designs that are safer for pedestrians. More from American City & County.

Denser Than Thou (August 22)
Walkability has become a far more huggable notion than density to make the case for healthier, more compact communities. More from Crosscut.

County will Consider Climate Change Impacts of New Projects (August 22)
King County agencies will be considering climate change impacts as part of their project review under Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The new policy, which takes effect on September 1, 2007, applies to any project that requires a SEPA checklist. More from the Marten Law Group's Environmental News.

Changing the World One Block at a Time (August 22)
The neighborhood is a powerful--but often overlooked--tool for social improvement. More from Making Places.

The Internet vs. The Automobile (August 22)
As the Internet revolution moves into full bloom, there is every reason to believe it could have a dramatic impact on the architecture and landscape of communities throughout the world. More from Government Technology.

5 Great Places to Live (and Retire) (August 22)
City living may cost a bit more, but urban communities also deliver peak value—in the form of culture, work options, mass transit, fitness opportunities, and more. AARP lists 5 great places to live and retire. More from AARP.

The Great American Migration (August 01)
Americans are abandoning traditional growth centers, placing us in the midst of the greatest population re-distribution since the dust bowl. More from Forbes.

Green Is the New Granite (August 01)
Sustainable features are the hottest thing in master planned communities. More from Planning.

Smart City - How Art is Remaking Cities (August 01)
Guests on a recent Smart City radio show talk about how art and artists are remaking cities. More from Smart City.

Stormwater Management and Climate Change (July 30)
A recent article, Stormwater Management As Adaptation to Climate Change looks at some widely divergent aspects of stormwater management that are interlinked with climate change adaptation. Read the article in Stormwater, July/August 2007.

Puget Sound Region Stormwater Management Costs (July 30)
From the Water Center at the University of Washington, a Fact Sheet on Coping with stormwater—how much does it cost?

Preparations for 2010: Is the Census Bureau Ready for the Job Ahead? (July 23)
Brooking's Metropolitan Policy Program Fellow, Andrew Reamer, emphasized the importance of the decennial Census to the nation and assessed the readiness of the federal government for the 2010 census in testimony before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. Read testimony. (108 KB)

Developing Existing Talent to Ensure a Future Leadership Pipeline (July 23)
What can local governments do to prepare the next generation of leaders and to develop individuals already in the leadership pipeline? Read more from ICMA.

Official 2007 Population Figures Released by OFM (July 18)
The population figures used for distribution of state-shared revenues were released by the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) on June 27. Detailed information on population estimates for cities, towns and counties may be found on OFM's Official April 1, 2007 Population Estimates Web page.

Web Sightings – Heritage Tourism (July 10)

MRSC Web page on Cultural and Heritage Tourism - Good starting point for information, including background resources, economic impact of cultural tourism, and local examples

General and National Resources

Washington State Resources

Historic Tours

Mapping the Growth of Older America (June 12)
Aging baby boomers constitute this decade's fastest growing age group, expanding nearly 50 percent in size from 2000 to 2010. This group adds new stresses to suburban and Sun Belt locations where they are predominantly "retiring in place" with demands for health, transportation, and other services. Read the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program report on Seniors and Boomers in the Early 21st Century (1.05 MB).

Lack of Affordable Housing Near Jobs: New Survey from ULI Looks at Impact of Commuting (June 04)
A survey, conducted by Harris Interactive®, was taken to gauge perceptions by employers and commuters regarding the impact of long distances between housing and jobs on business operations and workers’ quality of life.  More About the Survey at ULI News Round UP.

Putting Child Care in the Picture as Part of Community Infrastructure (June 04)
Government officials ought to recognize that more than 70 percent of mothers with children under age six are in the workforce, and more than half of them use child care, according to the U.S. Census. Shouldn't child care be part of local, state, and federal planning efforts?  See article on planning efforts in APA's  Planning  June 2007.

2010 Census Local Update of Census Addresses Program (May 30)
The Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program is a 2010 Decennial Census Program that will provide the opportunity for state, county, local and tribal governments to review and update the Census Bureau’s Master Address File and geographic database for the 2010 Census.

Housing the Masses (May 30)
With wages stagnant and the cost of housing inflated, less than 20 percent of American families earn enough to afford a median-price home in many East and West Coast markets, where housing the masses has become the top challenge for the 21st century. More from Urban Land.

Move Toward Neighborhood-Scale Schools Gains Momentum (May 30)
New urbanists and health advocates call for overturning state standards that result in overly large school sites. More from New Urban News.

Technology - Pulling it Together (May 30)
By linking Enterprise Asset Management and Geographic Information System technologies, several departments can see others' assets and coordinate maintenance tasks more easily. More from American City & County.

Smart City - Urban Redevelopment (May 23)
Urban redevelopment has been fun to watch over the past decade. Surprising projects are popping up everywhere, and this week's guests on Smart City are behind some of the most interesting.

Smart Growth Resources: Aging in Place (May 23)
There are many resources available to assist in creating communities that are livable for older people. More from Smart Growth Online.

Visual Tools for Planners (May 23)
A new feature on the Lincoln Web site, Visual Tools for Planners, provides planners with a comprehensive set of tools for communicating planning ideas.

Billboards vs. A 'Greener' America (May 23)
There's lots of talk about the "greening'' of America in this time of climate change and soaring energy costs. But don't count the billboard industry in. More from the Washington Post Writers Group.

Get Ahead of the Age Wave with Smart Growth (May 15)
The "age wave" created as the baby boom generation moves through the demographic cohorts is threatening to swamp communities across the country. More from Smart Growth Online.

Market Trends Favor New Urbanism (May 15)
At a time when real estate in its sprawling forms appears to be losing value more quickly than compact urban development, analyses of the market for New Urbanism and smart growth are relatively favorable. More from New Urban News.

Flames Sear Historic Market — Why We Care So Much (May 15)
Americans’ interest in farmers markets and fresh foods seems to be on the rise. Why? More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Healthy Communities: Let's Plan on It! (May 15)
Learn how planning commissioners can coordinate with health advocates to ensure that neighborhood and community design is supportive of healthy lifestyles. More from The Commissioner.

Preservation of Affordable Homeownership (May 09)
A recent policy brief from the Center for Housing Policy, Preservation of Affordable Homeownership: A Continuum of Strategies (Adobe Acrobat Document286KB), provides an overview of the range of mechanisms that local governments use to ensure that housing funds invested in affordable homeownership today are able to serve additional families into the future.

The Listening Post (May 09)
One of the toughest things for states or localities to do is get bona fide input from citizens on how they’re doing. More from Governing.

Getting Around in an Aging Society (May 09)
It is important that communities provide public transportation for older people to ease the transition from driving to nondriving, while still supporting an active lifestyle. More from Planning Magazine.

Ten Years of Smart Growth (May 09)
As of 2006, nearly 20 states have implemented smart growth-oriented directives, and many local and regional entities have also incorporated smart growth practices into their comprehensive master plans. More from Cityscape (Adobe Acrobat Document 275KB).

Diversity Training Helps Local Inclusiveness (May 09)
Many municipalities are taking a proactive approach to promoting inclusion and preventing discrimination by using diversity trainings for city staff. Diversity trainings address tensions, enhance understanding among personnel and improve service to community residents. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Inclusionary Zoning - Pros vs. Cons (May 01)
Smart Growth experts debate inclusionary zoning strategies in an effort to win diverse affordable neighborhoods. More from On Common Ground.

Libraries that Matter (May 01)
Reaching beyond the buzz of high design, libraries are redefining themselves as community centers for the 21st Century. More from Making Places.

New Toolkit for Meeting Needs of Aging Population (May 01)
The Washington-based International City/County Management Association, the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties have created a "Viable Futures Toolkit" to help communities provide better service for aging residents and, by extension, all ages.

Smart City - Transforming Anchor Institutions (May 01)
What would happen if every anchor institution in your city -- your universities, libraries, parks, major sports facilities, and museums -- were in perfect alignment around a few big goals, contributing their maximum to your city's success and their own? More from Smart City.

Clean Water Act Change May Impact Local Governments (May 01)
Lawmakers in the House and Senate are poised to introduce legislation that would respond to two recent Supreme Court decisions by expanding the scope of federal regulation of "waters of the United States." More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

When No One's Home (April 24)
Technology grant helps communities catalog and manage their vacant properties. More from Government Technology.

Changing Places (April 24)
Autos and airplanes have a lot in common with the Web and cell phones. Moving people and information around are both transformative. More from Governing.

Environmentally Responsible Redevelopment and Reuse (ER3) (April 24)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ER3 program will collaborate with public and private partners to identify, develop, and deliver incentives to encourage developers and property owners to implement sustainable practices during the redevelopment of contaminated sites.

The 'Humane Metropolis' -- Are We Ready? (April 24)
The humane metropolis advocates would have modern cities rethought -- from street plans to entire neighborhood layouts -- to be more sociable, civic and inclusive. More from the Washington Post Writers Group.

The Retail Chase (April 18)
Cities will do almost anything to land the store of their dreams. More from Governing.

Fighting for Good, Affordable Neighborhoods (April 18)
In the battle for affordable housing, calling in the US armed forces may seem excessive — until you take a look at some of the new military neighborhoods being built. More from New Urban News.

Local Governments and Sustainable Infrastructure (April 18)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Local Government Advisory Committee has developed a DVD that highlights how local governments address aging sewer and water systems to meet current and future challenges facing our communities. More from the EPA.

What Makes Great Cities? (April 18)
The question of what constitutes a great city has been asked many times—and answered in many different ways. When it comes to defining great cities, greatness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. More from Urban Land.

Smart City - The Greening of Cities (April 18)
Sustainability is the new imperative for urban leaders. And now there is a new way to encourage and even measure a community's sustainability. The topic of discussion on this week's Smart City is the greening of cities.

Polling the Populace (April 10)
Citizen surveys are an increasingly popular tool for soliciting feedback on policies, programs and priorities. More from Governing.

Housing Impacts of New Urban Demographics (April 10)
A recent paper from the Brookings Institution provides a deeper understanding of trends that are impacting metropolitan America and how those trends may impact the demand for multi-family housing in the coming decades. More from Brookings.

Good Malls and Bad Cities (April 10)
New quasi-urban shopping centers and the digital public sphere call into question traditional hatred of malls. More from Metropolis Magazine.

GIS Payback Figures (April 10)
Instead of building separate geospatial information systems (GIS) for different departments, many local governments develop single systems to serve all departments. More from American City & County.

Poll Shows Great Concern Over Affordable Housing (March 27)
More than half of Americans believe housing policy, with respect to the provision of affordable housing, is on the wrong track, according to a new Zogby America poll. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Predator Protection Laws come under Fire (March 27)
Supporters of the zoning ordinances that restrict where convicted sex offenders may reside after being released from prison say they protect children, while opponents say such restrictions may be going too far and are suing to overturn them. More from American City & County.

The Oregon Example: Statewide Planning Works (March 27)
In 1972, prompted by rapid immigration from California and other states, Oregon enacted one of the most comprehensive state wide planning laws in the country in an effort to curb sprawl. More from New West.

What’s the Survival Formula For Our Second-Tier Cities? (March 27)
Smart states and cities, in today’s knowledge economy, focus on great urban universities, high-finance and high-tech firms that rely heavily on drawing young professionals. But what happens to America’s second-tier cities? More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Sightings: Walkable Communities and Pedestrian Planning (March 22)
Sightings: Walkable Communities and Pedestrian Planning With an increasing nationwide interest in healthy communities, local governments have recognized the need to encourage the development of walkable, pedestrian friendly places. This month's Web Sightings focuses on walkable communities, pedestrian safety, and related plans:

Federal Agencies and National Organizations Washington State Useful How-to Guides

From U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration:

From Victoria Transport Policy Institute:

Other

Where the Lights aren't Bright (March 22)
How two booming cities have tried, and failed, to revive their centres. More from The Economist.

Middle-Class Dream: Rental (March 22)
Affordability problems are creeping up the income ladder, leaving even rental housing out of the reach of more middle-class families. More from Apartment Finance Today.

The Political Calculus of Congestion Pricing (March 22)
The political difficulty with congestion pricing is persuading people to do it in the first place, not in convincing them of its value after the fact. More from Transport Policy (Adobe Acrobat Document206KB).

Sustainable Cities (March 22)
Smart growth is newly fashionable. But what will it take to turn fashion into national policy? More from The American Prospect.

Sustainable Cities (March 22)
Smart growth is newly fashionable. But what will it take to turn fashion into national policy? More from The American Prospect.

Public/Private Development (March 13)
Public/private partnerships have become a favored strategy for implementing complex urban developments, but the large volume of literature on the topic falls short of providing city planners, development experts, and policy analysts the knowledge needed for either teaching or practice. More from the Journal of the American Planning Association (Adobe Acrobat Document1172KB).

Historic Preservation - 2007's Dozen Distinctive Destinations (March 13)
The National Trust for Historic Preservation's recently announced 2007 Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States, includes one very special city in Washington.

One Tiny Town Becomes Internet-Age Power Point (March 13)
While much of the U.S. frets over a residential real-estate slump, this small farming town on Washington State's plains has the opposite worry: A boom-town economy is inflating housing prices. More from The Wall Street Journal.

Smart City - An Authentic Sense of Place (March 13)
Authenticity is one of those qualities that is hard to define, but you know it when you see it - or feel it. This week's guests on Smart City explore its meaning and its application to places.

Churches' Zoning Protection Irks Locals (March 13)
Several cities are challenging the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, saying it places an undue burden on them. More from American City & County.

Seaside Revisited (March 13)
Slate Magazine offers a slide show on the influential new urbanist town of Seaside, Florida. More from Slate Magazine.

The Theme-Parking, Mega Churching, Franchising, Exurbing, and McMansioning of America (March 07)
Walt Disney's utopian dream forever changed Orlando, Florida, and laid the blueprint for the new American metropolis. More from National Geographic.

Breaking the Density Deadlock (March 07)
A local government that denounced density in blunt terms just six years ago is embracing it now. More from Governing.

Oregon's Property Wrongs (March 07)
A new report from the Sightline Institute, Two Years of Measure 37: Oregon's Property Wrongs (Adobe Acrobat Document448KB), tells the story of Oregon communities wrestling with the consequences of Measure 37.

LEED for Neighborhood Development (March 07)
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Neighborhood Development Rating System integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into the first national standard for neighborhood design.

Smash Hit (February 22)
It’s not just for the young and hip. State and local IT officials are tapping into a cool Google tool to create maps with new, improved uses. More from Governing.

Web Sightings – Citizen Boards and Commissions (February 22)
Web Sightings – Citizen Boards and Commissions Local governments appoint citizen boards, commissions, task forces, and committees to advise their legislative bodies on a wide range of policy issues. Citizen Boards and Commissions are the focus of this month's Web Sightings.

Washington Cities and Counties

Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) Guidebook (February 14)
The draft version of a report, Small Cities Critical Areas Ordinance Implementation Guidebook (Adobe Acrobat Document1583KB), is now available from the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development’s Growth Management Services Division. Comments on the draft guidance document are welcomed through March 2007.

Locals Prepare for the Silver Tsunami (February 14)
Cities and counties are preparing for a "silver tsunami" of retiring baby boomers by taking a closer look at their service needs — including housing, transportation, health, safety and volunteer opportunities — and adding programs and facilities to meet them. More from American City & County.

Running a Railroad (February 14)
Its schedules are undependable, prices high and on-board service of middling quality. Yet demand for Amtrak’s inter-city service grows. More from Governing.

Weighing In on City Planning (February 14)
As scientists investigate the relationship between sprawl and obesity, a compact style of city development sometimes called smart growth might become a tool in the fight for the nation's health. More from Science News.

Understanding Employer-Assisted Housing (February 06)
Employer-assisted housing has the potential to deliver benefits to several sectors of the community making it ideal as a stand-alone approach or one incorporated into a larger community housing strategy. More from The Commissioner.

Local Governments Benefit by Participation in the 2010 Census (February 06)
The U.S. Census Bureau has begun mailing informational booklets to all state, local and tribal governments asking for their assistance in providing updated addresses for their communities, part of an early, concerted effort to make the 2010 Census as accurate as possible. More from the U.S. Census Bureau.

How Growth Management Helps (January 31)
The Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development's publication, How Growth Management Helps Local Communities Achieve Their Goals: Reports From Local and State Leaders (Adobe Acrobat Document1537KB), features statements from Washington local government leaders on how growth management is working in their communities.

Stuck at Home (January 31)
A vibrant local economy needs a good supply of housing for sale at lots of price points. But that’s not what’s happening right now. More from Governing.

Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Available from EPA (January 31)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications from communities that want help with smart growth implementation including either policy analysis or public participatory processes. Applications will be accepted until March 8, 2007. More from EPA.

Aging Populations Inspire 'Universal Design' Housing (January 31)
Counties and cities across the country are embracing universal design — or UD — concepts and educating their residents about the benefits. More from NACo's County News.

The Resilient City (January 31)
Resilience is a quality that is greatly underrated in successful cities. This week's guests on Smart City are making their own special contributions to understanding how to make cities resilient.

Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves Fund (January 31)
The Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves Fund is an annual grant program that provides up to $2,000 to organizations, inclduing local governments, involved in historic preservation around our state.

Web Sightings - Ecological Footprint (January 26)
The ecological footprint is an assessment tool that measures how much land and water area a population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its wastes under prevailing technology. This measurement tool was developed by Professor William E. Rees at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. We’ve selected some sites and reports that provide general information on the ecological footprint concept and a few local and regional programs, too.

General Sites and Reports

City and Regional Ecological Footprint and Sustainability Sites (communities in Canada and California have taken a leading role in ecological footprint analysis)

See also MRSC's Web page on Smart Growth, General Resources on Sustainability

New Planning in Focus E-Newsletter from MRSC (January 26)
MRSC is pleased to announce the debut of our new Planning in Focus e-newsletter. Planning in Focus is a free, subscription-based, monthly e-mail newsletter featuring selected planning related information, Washington news clippings, MRSC inquiry responses, Planning Advisor articles, and much more. View a sample issue and subscribe today.

The Economic Potential of American Cities (January 23)
A recent Brookings Institution report examines the profound demographic and economic changes roiling the nation and outlines six key strategies, and their federal policy components, for American cities to leverage these trends for greater prosperity. More from Brookings.

Smart City - Strategic Thinking for Cities (January 23)
This week's guests on Smart City make their living thinking about the future and its implications for cities and for business. More from Smart City.

Rain Gardens Will Be Coming To A City Near You (January 23)
Because of the benefits of pollution reduction and management, cities are building rain gardens and encouraging their citizens to build them as well. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Wetlands Funding Available in Region 10 (January 23)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regions 9 and 10 are now accepting applications for the Wetlands Program Development Grants. More from EPA (Adobe Acrobat Document150KB).

Top Planning Issues of 2006 (January 18)
From green building to the housing bubble, the editors of Planetizen review the most talked about stories of 2006.

Affordable Housing Handbook (January 18)
The Center for Housing Policy's new publication, Increasing the Availability of Affordable Homes: A Handbook of High-Impact State and Local Solutions, identifies 22 high-impact policies that state and local leaders can implement to expand the supply of affordable homes in their jurisdictions. More from Homes for Working Families.

Benefiting from a Cover Up (January 18)
Cities reap rewards for decking highways with parks. More from Governing.

Washington Sustainability Strategies (January 10)
The National Trust Main Street Center profiles community sustainability strategies from Seattle and other Washington State communities in the November 2006 edition of Main Street News (Adobe Acrobat Document881KB).

Making Other Arrangements (January 10)
The far-flung housing subdivisions, commercial highway strips, big-box stores, and all the other furnishings and accessories of extreme car dependence will function poorly, if at all, in an oil-scarce future. More from Orion Magazine.

State and Metropolitan Area Data Book (January 10)
The 2006 State and Metropolitan Area Data Book (Adobe Acrobat Document11.7MB), published by the U.S. Census Bureau, offers a convenient summary of statistics on the social and economic structure of the states, metropolitan areas, and micropolitan areas in the United States.

Smart City - Development and Land Use (January 10)
Robert Puentes, a fellow with the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program Katherine Perez is Vice President of Development at Forest City Development, talk about development and land use on this week's Smart City.

Revenge of the Small (January 03)
Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver are creating strategies to encourage the development of modest, more affordable houses. More from Business Week.

Ten Noteworthy Trends of 2006 (January 03)
The Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program reviews the ten most noteworthy trends affecting urban America in 2006. More from Brookings.

Smart City - Living in a Learning City (January 03)
Imagine a Learning City where everything - literally everything - is turned into an opportunity to teach something new and all day, everyday is considered a teachable moment. Living in a Learning City is this week's topic on Smart City.

Bus Transit Service in Land Development Planning (December 28)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) report on Bus Transit Service in Land Development Planning examines successful strategies that assist in the incorporation of bus transit service into land developments, as well as the challenges that transit agencies face when attempting to do so. More from the TRB.

Planning - Is That a Good Assumption? (December 28)
If Census Bureau projections are correct, the U.S. will add an average of 2.5 million new residents a year for the next 40 years. If you want to figure out with any accuracy what that means for your community,then statistically speaking, there is both good and bad news from the Census Bureau. More from Planning Magazine.

Cities Still Struggle to Meet Local Housing Needs (December 20)
Three-fourths of local housing officials report that the spiraling cost of housing is significantly limiting the opportunities for homeownership for lower-income people and younger families, according to a State of America’s Cities Survey on Municipal Housing, released by the National League of Cities (NLC). More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

City Green Building by the Numbers (December 20)
With a mission to make green building standard practice, Seattle's Green Building program is organized to inspire, advise and support project teams, and to create value for green building projects. More from the city of Seattle.

Preparations Begin for 2010 Census (December 20)
To ensure funding, local governments are gearing up for the 2010 U.S. census, cooperating with local Census Bureau tests and providing updated addresses. More from American City & County.

Web Sightings - Innovative and Affordable Housing (December 12)
With the high cost of housing in the Puget Sound area, many jurisdictions are looking for innovative ways of providing affordable housing. This month we’ve selected sites on innovative and affordable housing.

General Web Sites

Innovative Housing Programs and Examples from Washington Jurisdictions

MRSC pages related to innovative housing

Reports on Innovative Housing

City and Suburban Poverty Trends 1999-2005 (December 12)
A recent study by the Brookings Institution found that for the first time in 2005 there are more poor residents of suburbs than central cities. More from the Brookings Institution.

Round Sixteen of the Maxwell Awards of Excellence (2006) (December 12)
The Fannie Mae Foundation's Round Sixteen of the Maxwell Awards of Excellence, recently made four awards to nonprofit organizations to recognize outstanding development of affordable housing while reclaiming vacant properties. More from the Fannie Mae Foundation.

This Old Factory (December 06)
In a number of states, there’s starting to be pushback against rezoning industrial land for housing. More from Governing.

Neal Peirce: As We Add Millions, How do We Stay Mobile? (December 06)
By 2043, we're being told, there won't just be 300 million of us -- there will be 400 million. With the roadways around our metropolitan regions increasingly clogged, how will we ever stay mobile? More from the Washington Post Writers Group.

How to Create Workforce Housing (December 06)
What are we doing to build our communities? The housing of all workers is a critical component to building viable, sustainable, equitable, economically competitive communities. More from the Urban Land Institute.

Everything Old Is New Again (December 06)
Cities are using tried-and-true (and some truly new) approaches to repopulating city neighborhoods. More from Planning Magazine.

Bellingham's One-Stop Neighborhood Information Web Page (December 06)
Bellingham's Neighborhoods Web page offers a clickable map of the city's 23 neighborhoods leading to more detailed information about each neighborhood, including links to zoning maps, neighborhood contacts, and other resources all in one convenient place.

Commission Adopts Washington Transportation Plan (December 06)
The Washington State Transportation Commission recently adopted the updated 2007-2026 Washington Transportation Plan (WTP). More from WSDOT.

Voters Approve Record Funding for Land Conservation (December 06)
In the Nov. 7 election, voters in 23 states approved 99 ballot measures to increase state and local government funding for land conservation, for a total of $5.73 billion. More from NACo's County News.

Seattle's Plan to Implement Sustainable Affordable Housing (November 22)
Listed on Forbes.com as the most overpriced place in the United States for two consecutive years, the city of Seattle has responded by making a concerted effort to promote affordable housing. More from Breakthroughs.

A Review of Community Plans to End Homelessness (November 22)
A recent report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness is the first nationwide examination of local plans to end homelessness. More from the National City Network.

Voters Restrict Eminent Domain Powers, Nix TABOR Laws (November 22)
While the country’s eyes were fixed on the change of power at the federal level, voters also cast their ballots on a variety of significant initiatives, referendums and constitutional amendments. More from NACo's County News.

The Billboard Shakedown Scheme (November 22)
Over the past few years, there has been a sharp spike in the number of lawsuits filed against municipalities seeking to strike down the entirety of a municipal sign code. More from The Commissioner.

Who Works in Big Cities? (November 22)
What kinds of work will be done in center cities in the future? A recent publication by the University of Pittsburgh offers a clue. More from Civic Strategies.

Smart City - Transportation is Fundamental (November 22)
This week's Smart City guests talk about current trends in transportation planning. More from Smart City.

Moving Toward High-Performance Infrastructure (November 22)
In places where communities struggle with ever-expanding areas of impervious pavement and degraded water quality—and where flooding and drought are becoming a larger part of the picture—earth-based landscape approaches can have a measurable benefit. More form Urban Land (Adobe Acrobat Document350 KB).

Citizens Cast Ballots to Control Their Future (November 14)
Despite influence and pressure from various non-resident groups, citizens in several states voted to control their own futures on Election Day last week. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Suburban Transit Services Guidebook Available (November 14)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Guidebook for Evaluating, Selecting, and Implementing Suburban Transit Services examines the current status of suburban transit services and land-use environments and the relationship between the two. More from the TRB.

Smart Decline (November 14)
In 40 years, Youngstown has lost more than half its population. Those people aren't coming back. But shrinking doesn’t have to mean dying. More from Governing.

The Politics of Play (November 14)
The "creative playground" movement eschews the homogenous regulated space of contemporary recreational areas in favor of diverse open-ended "playscapes." More from Metropolis Magazine.

Economics 101: What Travel and Tourism Mean for Your County (November 14)
The American Hotel and Lodging Association reports that tourism is currently the nation’s third largest retail industry, behind automotive and food stores, and one of America's largest employers. More from NACo's County News

Capital Improvement Plans and Budgets Primer (November 08)
A paper from the Lincoln Land Institute, "Capital Improvement Plans and Budgets," (Adobe Acrobat Document 257 KB) describes the components of the CIP and budget and then outlines the major steps in the preparation of these documents.

Making Healthy Cities (November 08)
The city is a reflection of its people --- their beliefs, their skills, their relationships. This week's guests on Smart City are working in very different ways to improve the city by improving the lives of the people who live there.

Green School Design Makes Kids Smarter and Healthier (November 08)
A new national report, Greening America’s Schools, reveals that building energy-efficient schools results in lower operating costs, improved test scores and enhanced student health. More from the American Institute of Architects.

Attracting Development To Brownfields Sites (November 08)
Deteriorated infrastructure, out-of-date zoning, and overly complicated local approval processes often can severely hinder a brownfields redevelopment project. With many key approvals for these projects needed at the local level, local governments are in a great position to level the playing field and better attract developers to these properties. More from Public Management Magazine.

Hummers on the Homefront (October 31)
In the past few decades, houses have gotten greener, but they've gotten bigger too, leaving the lingering question: Is super-sized housing defeating conservation efforts? More from E, The Environmental Magazine.

New Property Fairness Web Site (October 31)
The American Planning Association has joined with several national partners to launch PropertyFairness.org. The new website will serve as a clearinghouse for legislative, legal, electoral, and media information on property fairness issues such as regulatory takings and eminent domain.

PSRC's 2006 Regional Demographic and Economic Forecasts (October 31)
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) has released new forecasts developed to replace the 2003 Regional Demographic and Economic Forecasts and Forecasts of Population and Employment at Sub-County (Small Area) detail. More from PSRC.

An Answer to the Question that Haunts Smart Growth (October 25)
How does adding large numbers of people to a neighborhood benefit those who are already there? More from Civic Strategies.

Takings Measures Assault Municipal and Home Rule Authority (October 25)
For those of us who value the role of local government, it is troubling to see anti-government groups aggressively promoting state legislation and initiatives that fundamentally undermine the ability of cities and towns to provide services. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Toward a New Archipelago (October 25)
Clusters of self-sustaining suburban villages can be the way we grow without sprawling. More from Metropolis Magazine.

Soft on Sprawl (October 25)
A popular planning book praises sprawl and ignores the mess left by misguided transportation policies. More from Governing.

Commuting Costs Outweigh Savings of Living in Suburbs (October 17)
"Drive 'til you qualify" is an option used by many working families seeking affordable housing by moving to far-flung suburbs. But a new study from the Center for Housing Policy, A Heavy Load: The Combined Housing and Transportation Burdens of Working Families (Adobe Acrobat Document 4.5 MB), shows how high commuting costs outweigh the benefits of lower cost suburban housing in the long term.

Commuting in America III (October 17)
Based on the latest census information available, the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Commuting in America III report contains 155 figures, 79 tables, and some 100 "factlets" that tell the story of America’s commuting trends and patterns over the last ten years. More from the TRB.

Property Wrongs: Lessons from Oregon on "Property Rights" (October 17)
Property Wrongs (Adobe Acrobat Document 381 KB), a report by the Seattle-based Sightline Institute, documents a growing backlash against "property rights" initiatives by chronicling six stories of Oregon communities deeply affected by Oregon's Measure 37.

Honey, Our House Is Historic! (October 17)
Buildings from the mid-20th century are becoming eligible for landmark status. Local governments are trying to decide which are worth preserving. More from Governing.

What Comes After Incorporation? (October 11)
After a city is formed comes the hard work of creating a government, bolstering the tax base and building a reliable set of public services. And then what? If new cities in the Seattle area are a guide, next comes the search for distinctiveness. More from Civic Strategies.

Smart City - Smarter Land Use and Community Development (October 11)
Keith Bellows, editor in chief of National Geographic Traveler talks about the must see cities on his list of top destinations and Keith Schneider of the Michigan Land Use Institute talks about land use policies that make cities good places to live on Smart City.

Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population (October 03)
A recently released study by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, The Maturing of America - Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population (Adobe Acrobat Document 2387kb), finds that less than half of American cities and counties have plans in place to meet the needs of aging baby boomers.

Parking Management Best Practices (October 03)
An excerpt from a new Planners Press book leads the way to more sensible parking solutions. More from Planning Magazine.

Refugee Resettlement in Metropolitan America (October 03)
A recent Brookings Institution report examines where refugees come from and where they land, finding that refugee destinations have shifted away from typical immigrant gateways housing large foreign-born populations to newer, often smaller, places. More from the Brookings Institution.

Brownfields Roadmap (October 03)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Road Map to Understanding Innovative Technology Options for Brownfields Investigation and Cleanup publication helps brownfields stakeholders identify and select innovative site characterization and cleanup technologies during the redevelopment process. More from the EPA.

Smart Growth Publication Showcases Development at its Best (September 26)
A new publication from The Smart Growth Network and the International City/County Management Association, This is Smart Growth, illustrates and explains smart growth concepts and outcomes. More from Smart Growth Online.

The Shape of Things to Come (September 26)
If you want to learn about metropolitan areas, a good way is to study retailing trends. And what does retail teach us about metro areas these days? The suburban form, as we've known it, is dead. More from Civic Strategies.

Special Report: Regional Thinking (September 26)
The Denver metropolitan area has been a model of regional cooperation, with municipalities and counties working together to improve infrastructure and accommodate growth. More from Urban Land.

Coming Soon - The Planning Advisor (September 25)
MRSC has joined with Phil Olbrechts, Attorney, Odgen Murphy Wallace, Mike McCormick, Planning Consultant, and Mark Hinshaw, Director of Urban Design for LMN Architects, to bring you a new monthly "Planning Advisor" column. MRSC's first Planning Advisor column is coming soon.

Building Lifestyle Centers Instead Of Malls (September 12)
"Lifestyle centers," are becoming very popular with shopping center architects and designers. Gone are the big anchor stores, enormous parking lots and food courts. In their place are smaller stores, walkable streets, fountains and sidewalks. More from National Public Radio.

How Rail Impacts Retail (September 12)
A successful transit line means a more intense commercial life around the stations, and that means higher property values, higher rents and the invasion of chain stores. More from Governing.

Marrying Historic Districts and Infill (August 22)
First the enemy was neglect. Then it was urban renewal. Now it's teardowns. Older neighborhoods are hot targets for new investment, and preservation review boards are struggling to shape new construction into forms compatible with the older urban character. More from Planning Magazine.

Web Sightings - Flexible Environmental & Land Use Regulatory Tools and Incentives (August 22)
Local governments are developing flexible environmental and land use regulations that protect community values and promoting incentives to protect open space, agriculture and critical areas. This month we’ve selected some Web sites that offer creative approaches to environmental protection and open space preservation:

For additional information, see MRSC’s new Web page on "Flexible Regulatory and Non-Regulatory Incentive Tools."

Land Use Regulations in the Nation's 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas (August 15)
A comprehensive survey of local land use regulations by the Brookings Institution finds a wide variety of regulatory regimes, classifying them in four broad typologies, across the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas. More from the Brookings Institution.

Urban Discourse (August 15)
An unorthodox project encourages the residents of Portland to participate in the shaping of their city. More from Metropolis Magazine.

Annexation and the Fiscal Fate of Cities (August 15)
New research from the Brookings Institution finds that a city's ability to annex land from its surrounding county is a primary determinant of its fiscal health. More from the Brookings Institution.

Sustainability: The Issue of Our Age (August 15)
With each passing day, the issue of sustainability becomes more prominent in debates on the future of our planet. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the example of climate change. More from Public Management.

Turning Stormwater Runoff into a Community Amenity (August 15)
The transformation of stormwater runoff into a community amenity is the next step for smart growth neighborhoods and can make them even greater places to live. More from Smart Growth.

Pre-Approved House Plans Speed Redevelopment (August 15)
Sacramento, California is launching a new initiative to reduce the amount of time it takes to approve the construction of infill housing. Builders can purchase pre-approved house plans and begin construction as much as six weeks earlier than if they were using other plans and specifications. More from Breakthroughs.

Green Pieces (August 15)
States and localities are working with conservation groups to link existing preserves and the privately owned land between them. More from Governing.

New Web Page - Initiative 933 (August 01)
Our new I-933 Web page contains information on the proposed "property fairness" initiative, including links to resources posted by proponents and opponents.

Smart City - The Future of American Cities (August 01)
For the past 50 years development in America has been sprawling away from the old urban cores into ever farther suburbs and exurbs. Why did it happen? Sprawl and development is the topic on this week's Smart City radio show.

Smart Growth Illustrated (July 26)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Smart Growth Illustrated" Web site provides visual examples of smart growth principals as they have been applied in 20 communities around the country.

Draft Washington Transportation Plan Released for Comment (July 26)
The Washington State Transportation Commission released the Draft Washington Transportation Plan Update on July 20, beginning a 45-day comment period to gather feedback on the plan. More from WSDOT News.

Seattle Projects Top AIA Awards for Green, Affordable Housing (July 26)
Three of the eight winners of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2006 "Show You're Green" awards were built in Seattle. The winners were recognized for incorporating green elements in aesthetically excellent, affordable designs. More from the AIA.

New NACo-sponsored Guide Helps Counties Deal with Wild Fires (July 26)
To help counties protect their communities from the threat of wildfires, the National Associatin of County Officials (NACo) joined the International Code Council, International Association of Fire Chiefs, and others to produce the 2006 Wildland Urban Interface Community Planning Tool Kit CD. More from NACo's County News.

Along the Tracks: A Tale of Transit Development (July 18)
Light rail has the potential to transform the transportation habits of hundreds of thousands of users. More from The Next American City.

Katrina Cottages (July 18)
Rising from the ruins of Katrina, new cottage prototypes revolutionize the concept of affordable housing and embody a movement to rebuild the character of Gulf Coast towns. More from Cottage Living.

Official Population Figures Released by OFM (July 13)
The April 1, 2006 population figures (Adobe Acrobat Document104kb), used for distribution of state-shared revenues, have been released by the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM).

Extreme Makeover (July 13)
After transforming its downtown into a residential mecca, Vancouver, BC, is trying to find the right balance between condos and commerce. More from Governing.

Putting Democracy Front & Center (July 13)
New tools and techniques for visualization, impact analysis, scenario planning, and citizen engagement allow individuals to exert a powerful influence on the planning process and final outcomes. More from Planning Magazine.

Property Tax Favoritism (July 13)
Property tax regimes and land-use schemes that do not consider — and that effectively hinder — denser development may be obsolete policy, avoiding new realities and favoring a lifestyle possible for fewer of our citizens. More from Governing.

Transit-Oriented Development's Role in Enhancing Affordability (July 13)
The true costs associated with suburban living - especially transportation costs - are bringing more people into the cities. More from Smart Growth Online.

Smart City - Encouraging Creativity By Design (July 13)
How can the design of physical space and public policy encourage creativity and high performance? Places and policies that encourage creativity is the subject of this week's Smart City radio show.

Teardowns (June 28)
Across the nation a teardown epidemic is wiping out historic neighborhoods one house at a time. More from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Middle-Income Neighborhoods in Decline (June 28)
A new study from the Brookings Institution, Where Did They Go? The Decline of Middle-Income Neighborhoods in Metropolitan America, shows that middle-income neighborhoods as a proportion of all metropolitan neighborhoods have declined dramatically between 1970 and 2000.

Supreme Court Offers No Clear Guidance in Wetlands Decision (June 28)
Anyone hoping for a bright line rule from the U.S. Supreme Court on exactly when filling or dredging a wetland requires a federal Clean Water Act permit because it is "adjacent" to "navigable waters" probably was disappointed on June 19 when the Court issued five separate opinions, none with a majority. More from the Environs Hot Sheet.

State of the Nation's Housing Report (June 28)
According to a new report published by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, The State of the Nation's Housing 2006 (Adobe Acrobat Document5mb), affordability problems are escalating even as the housing market cools.

Suburban Counties Show Most Growth (June 28)
The U.S. Census Bureau's listing of the top five fastest growing counties in the country indicates that people are moving away from cities. More from American City & County.

Transportation - A Bridge Too Far (June 28)
Whether it’s widening an old road or upgrading an intersection, transportation changes the way an area develops and functions. More from Governing.

The New Suburbanism: Communities in Profile (June 20)
Suburbs have borne the major share of growth over the past half century. Now, some architects, developers, and planners are looking at ways to make them better places to live. More from the Urban Land Institute.

Is There Anything Wrong with Fake Downtowns? (June 20)
The Wall Street Journal took aim recently at what it called "faux downtowns" popping up in suburbs around the country. These "fake towns," the Journal said, offer "urban life without the grit." But, really, is there anything wrong with that? More from Civic Strategies.

Big Northwest Cities are 'Most Sustainable' (June 13)
The Pacific Northwest trumps SustainLane’s 2006 ranking of the nation's most sustainable cities, although a number of older East Coast cities also make the top ten. More from Marketwatch.

The Bungalow Bind (June 13)
Middle-aged suburbs with a disproportionate number of small houses from the 1950s and ’60s are in trouble. More from Governing.

Cul-de-Sacs: Suburban Dream or Dead End? (June 13)
Urban planners, anti-sprawl activists and architects, as well as some city managers and mayors, are opposed to cul-de-sacs. But one important group is still in love with them: homebuyers. More from National Public Radio.

From Brownfields to Art Parks (June 13)
When is a brownfield not a brownfield? When it's transformed by artworks, as in Seattle and Los Angeles. More from The Trust for Public Land.

Putting Communities at the Center of Branding (June 06)
Branding efforts of various groups, although individually well executed, often work against each other with counter messages if they are not coordinated. More from Public Management.

Economic Development - Making Friends with Franchises (June 06)
Can a Whopper help disinvested urban neighborhoods? Magic Johnson thinks so and has bet on the famous Burger King sandwich by purchasing 30 franchises in four major cities in an effort to help in their retail renaissance. More from Planning.

A Change of Heart About Tall Buildings (May 31)
After three decades of fighting taller downtown towers, urban activists have had a change of heart. Now many of these same people are urging cities to go up, up, up. Almost surely they will get their wish. More from Civic Strategies.

APA Housing Policy Guide Available (May 31)
The American Planning Association's (APA) new Policy Guide on Housing (Adobe Acrobat Document71kb) is designed to help planners create communities where diverse housing options are available to current and future residents.

Cities Amend Codes to Attract Seniors-Only Developments (May 31)
Seniors-only housing developments are being viewed as cash cows in some communities and others are increasingly rolling out the red carpet for age-restricted or "active-adult" developments. More from American City & County.

New Design Manual for Context Sensitive, Walkable Streets (May 24)
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) has developed Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities, which provides guidance for creating walkable and bikeable communities. More from ITE.

Housing for All (May 24)
Participants at a recent roundtable convened by the Urban Land Institute discussed strategies for bringing affordable housing and social equity to metropolitan areas. More form Urban Land.

The Mid-Rise Approach to Density (May 16)
How does Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa plan to sell Angelinos on greater density in their own neighborhoods? By doing it one mid-rise building at a time. More from Civic Strategies.

Smart City - Citizens on the Move (May 10)
Recent reports from the U.S. Census Bureau found people flooding out of cities in a search for cheaper housing. But economist Joe Cortright, this week's guest on Smart City, suggests there is another important side to the story.

Web Sightings - Waterfront Redevelopment (May 10)
Many communities are capitalizing on the potential of their waterfronts through waterfront planning and revitalization efforts. This month we've selected waterfront redevelopment materials and examples from Washington cities:

General

Washington Communities

After the Rescue Workers go Home (May 10)
In the aftermath of a disaster, when the news media has left and the rescue workers have gone home, the process of rebuilding begins. How does a community pick up the pieces and move forward? More from Public Management.

Playing the Numbers Game (May 10)
When it comes to transit oriented development, trip-generation figures can make all the difference. More from Planning Magazine.

Planning Principles and Practices Report (May 02)
A recent paper from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Planning Principles and Practices (Adobe Acrobat Document198kb), summarizes key principles and practices for effective planning, particularly land use and transportation planning.

Guide to Contracting ITS Projects (May 02)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Guide to Contracting ITS Projects publication provides guidance on the procurement of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to regulate and facilitate traffic flow. More from the TRB.

Report on Creating and Retaining Affordable Housing (April 26)
A recent report from the Urban Institute, Keeping the Neighborhood Affordable, describes fifteen strategies that local governments, developers, and nonprofit organizations can use to create and retain affordable housing in their communities.

New Wal-Mart in Town? (April 26)
If your city or county is facing down a Wal-Mart or dealing with its aftermath, you may want to take a look at a recent study published by the Ohio State University Extension service. More from NACo's County News.

NLC Report Defines New Typology for Cities (April 18)
A report from the National League of Cities (NLC), From Meltingpot Cities to Boomtowns: Redefining How We Talk about America’s Cities (Adobe Acrobat Document1141kb), analyzes data from nearly 1,000 cities and defines a new typology for cities to assist policy makers and researchers.

Model Smart Growth Codes Available from APA (April 18)
The American Planning Association (APA) has just released a set of 11 Model Smart Growth Development Codes, including a narrative on the structure of development codes and how to evaluate and update them to achieve smart growth goals.

Aerial Imaging Swoops Low Down (April 18)
A new aerial imaging technology helps law enforcement and other government agencies prepare for high-security events, respond to emergencies, and pick up after disasters. More from Wired Magazine.

The Grocery Gap (April 18)
Supermarkets are slowly returning to the inner city and some governments are clearing roadblocks to help build the stores. More from Governing.

New Urbanism Comes Of Age In Atlanta (April 18)
National Public Radio (NPR) covers the success of Glenwood Park, a new urbanist development in car-dependent Atlanta. More from NPR.

The Task Ahead for Smart Growth (April 12)
It's hard to be against smart growth. It's like being against marriage or an orderly society. Some of the best minds in urban America are laboring in smart growth efforts. There's just one problem: It isn't working. More from Civic Strategies.

In the Face of Gentrification (April 12)
A recent report from the Urban Institute, In the Face of Gentrification: Case Studies of Local Efforts to Mitigate Displacement, explores strategies that have been used to ensure low- to-moderate-income residents can live in revitalizing neighborhoods.

Ten Public Involvement "Hot Spots" (April 04)
While most public involvement strategies offer positive results for all, some efforts are not as effective as sponsors and participants would like. California's Institute for Local Government offers ten public involvement "hot spots" where extra attention may mean the difference between success and failure.

NLC Webcast - Bringing Down Barriers to Affordable Housing (April 04)
This National City Network TV presentation is one of a series of National League of Cities (NLC) roundtable discussions on removing barriers to affordable housing and home ownership in America’s cities. Watch it on the Web.

Innovative Solutions To Vehicle Parking Problems (March 29)
A cost-effective, integrated parking management program can often reduce parking requirements by 20-40%, while improving user convenience and helping to achieve other planning objectives. More from Planetizen.

Brownfields Resources (March 29)
The "Creating Community-Based Brownfields Redevelopment Strategies Resource List," (Adobe Acrobat Document160kb) developed by the American Planning Association, highlights recent books, articles, and government document citations that discuss the topics of brownfields and redevelopment as they intersect with community organizations.

Gaining Acceptance for Affordable Housing Development (March 21)
The California Institute for Local Government's Housing Resource Center now includes a section on gaining neighborhood acceptance for affordable housing development.

Smart City - What Makes Cities Successful? (March 21)
This week's Smart City radio show guests talk about the characteristics of successful cities, one with a very local view and the other with a global outlook.

Economic Development - Making Sense of Clusters (March 21)
A new report from the Brookings Institution, Making Sense of Clusters: Regional Competitiveness and Economic Development, reviews the academic literature on industry clusters, explains why they matter for regional economic development policy, and shows how cluster analysis can be used as a guide to policy and practice.

Best Practices for Making Informed Land Use Decisions (March 16)
The California Institute for Local Government's publication, An Ounce of Prevention - Best Practices for Making Informed Land Use Decisions, focuses on the underlying procedures that are common to all land use decisions and identifies practical strategies to reduce the risk of litigation.

Smart City - How Local Businesses Change Cities (March 16)
One thing that differentiates one city from another is its mix of independent entrepreneurs. This week's Smart City radio show guests offer special insights about how local businesses get started and grow and how they change cities.

Maps of Sprawl and Smart Growth in Northwest Cities (March 07)
Animated maps on the Northwest Environment Watch Web site show how several Northwest cities have fared at living up to growth limits set over the last decade. More from Northwest Environment Watch.

Land Rush (March 07)
Inner cities are becoming hot places to live. Does government have any business telling developers to keep out? More from Governing.

Parking Q&A with Donald Shoup (February 28)
Donald Shoup, author of the American Planning Association's (APA) January 2006 Zoning Practice article "The Practice of Parking Requirements" answers parking questions on APA's Web site. More from APA.

Smart City - Neo-Bohemia and Global Cities (February 28)
Find out how cities are promoting Bohemian districts as a lifestyle amenity in this week's Smart City radio show.

New Farmland Preservation Grant Program (February 28)
Washington counties and cities are eligible to receive new farmland preservation grants for preserving economically viable farmlands in Washington State and enhancing ecological functions on those lands. More from the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation.

The Decline of the Underclass (February 28)
The number of poor people living in troubled neighborhoods often described by journalists as the "underclass"are actually fewer now than in the 1980s. More from the Brookings Institution.

Many Pathways from Land Use to Health (February 28)
Growing evidence documents the adverse health impacts of common land use patterns in the U.S. More from the Journal of the American Planning Association (Adobe Acrobat Document117kb).

Economic Development - Count Your Assets (February 28)
The vibrant past history and current woes of Lockport, New York, are a wake-up call for struggling post-industrial regions. More from Governing.

The Improving Outlook for Affordable Housing (February 22)
If ever there was a lost cause for cities, you'd think it would be affordable housing. So it may come as a surprise to learn that some advocates are optimistic these days. More from Civic Strategies.

One-Fifth of the Nation: America's First Suburbs (February 22)
Neither fully urban nor completely suburban, America's older, inner-ring, "first" suburbs have a unique set of challenges. More from the Brookings Institution.

Is there a Housing Bubble? (February 22)
Nine experts analyze today’s real estate market for the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. More from My View.

Bringing Community to the City (February 22)
New urbanism takes hold in townships sprouting up across the U.S., changing the landscape and American lifestyle. More from Business Week.

Citizen Planners Resource Kit (February 14)
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy offers a free Citizen Planners Resource Kit for local planning boards and commissions that includes publications on smart growth, regionalism, and conservation easements, a copy of the Institute’s quarterly newsletter, and free access to online courses.

Smart City - A Kinder, Gentler Tourism (February 14)
According to this week's Smart City radio show guests, "civic tourism" may offer a more sustainable approach to tourism and economic development. More from Smart City.

Land Use, Transportation, Air Quality and Health Study (February 14)
King County recently published the results of a study exploring how travel patterns, health, and overall quality of life are impacted by specific land use and transportation decisions. The report is available on the the county's Office of Regional Transportation Planning Web site.

Web Sightings - GIS (February 08)
Geographic information systems (GIS) provide critical information across a growing range of local government agencies and functions. Here are a few of our favorite national and Washington GIS sites:

Smart City - The Latest on Place Branding and Innovation (February 08)
Place branding and the economic impact of innovation are two topics of continuing interest to urban leaders. This week's guests on Smart City talk about the latest developments in both fields.

EPA Releases Four New Smart Growth Publications (February 08)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently released four new smart growth publications. Topics include drinking water policies, protection of water resources, stormwater management, and parking.

Integrating Sustainability into Transportation Planning (February 08)
A recent Transportation Research Board (TRB) report takes a look at how sustainability objectives can be introduced into the planning process for surface transportation facilities and operations. More from the TRB.

Sunset's Best Places to Live (January 31)
Western suburbs are becoming more like big cities, and because of it, suburban living is growing richer and more sophisticated. More from Sunset Magazine.

Smart City - Downtown Turnarounds (January 31)
Downtowns are coming back all over the U.S., none more strikingly than Philadelphia's Center City. Paul Levy, the man at the helm of the revitalization, is this week's guest on Smart City.

Report on Most and Least Affordable Housing in Six Countries (January 31)
The 2nd annual 2006 Edition of the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey (Adobe Acrobat Document617kb) rates the affordability of the one hundred major urban property markets in six countries.

All America City Award Application Deadline Approaching (January 31)
Cities and communities interested in applying for the National Civic League's All-America City Award have until March 9 to put their hats in the ring for the prestigious community award. More from the National Civic League.

The Downside of the Upscale Condo Boom (January 25)
Luxury condo booms in major cities from Miami to Los Angeles point to the renewed vitality of downtowns. Yet they also are causing headaches for officials charged with managing growth. More from American City & County.

Reinventing Conservation Easements (January 25)
In recent decades conservation easements—promises to restrict land development—have become enormously popular, but now they are in trouble. More from the Lincoln Land Institute.

New Ask MRSC E-newsletter (January 18)
Ask MRSC is a free, subscription-based, monthly e-mail newsletter featuring answers to selected questions received by our consultant staff. It's one more way for you to stay informed on current issues affecting city and county government. View a sample issue or go directly to our subscription page and sign up to receive Ask MRSC today. It's free!

Community Development - The Power of Infilltration (January 11)
Cities can encourage multidwelling projects by understanding what makes them succeed, listening to neighborhoods, providing guidance to developers, and eliminating barriers. More from Planning Magazine.

How the Suburbs Made Us Rich (January 11)
Without the Levittowns, our parents and grandparents would have paid rent most of their lives, and the equity that so much of the American Dream depends on would simply not have developed. More from Demographia (Adobe Acrobat Document208 KB).

Housing - Some Assembly Required (January 11)
A new generation of tech-savvy architects is bringing premium-quality, prefabricated housing to the masses. More from Wired Magazine.

Smart City - Design and Architecture (January 11)
Good design adds value to products, services, experiences and certainly to cities. This week's guests on Smart city talk about urban design and architecture.

Learning to Think and Act Like a Region (December 28)
Planning across boundaries - or regional collaboration - is slowly emerging as an essential component of land policy and planning in the twenty-first century. More from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Place Making: Creating a Sense of Community (December 28)
Creating authentic places with a mix of uses that provide an identity and a sense of community is a complex process that requires a variety of approaches. More from the Urban Land Institute.

Katrina Index Report (December 28)
Using a wide array of economic and social indicators, the Brookings Institution's report, "Katrina Index: Tracking Variables of Post-Katrina Reconstruction," provides the first in a series of monthly snapshots of economic and reconstruction trends, finding that the area remains mired in a state of emergency still.

Smart City - Important Demographic Trends in Cities (December 28)
Two demographic trends with major implications are America's aging population and adolescent pregnancy. This week's Smart City radio show guests explore what communities are doing to tackle problems associated with a growing number of aging citizens and too many teen mothers.

Top 12 Public Squares in the U.S. and Canada (December 20)
The Project for Public Spaces lists the top 12 public squares in the U.S. and Canada as shining examples to inspire the growing movement to bring back town squares. More from Making Places.

Smart City - What Makes Cities Successful? (December 20)
Sean Safford and Saskia Sassen from the University of Chicago talk about critical factors for successful cities in this week's Smart City radio show.

Guide to America's Best New Development Projects (December 20)
A report from the Sierra Club, "Building Better: A Guide to America's Best New Development Projects," shows that by reinvesting in existing neighborhoods and creating more walkable, transit accessible places to live and work, a select subset of the nation’s development leaders are raising the bar for neighborhood design.

The Role of Local Government in Smart Growth (December 20)
A new report, "Public Sector Leadership: The Role of Local Government in Smart Growth," (Adobe Acrobat Document956kb) prepared by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), examines the role of public sector leadership on growth and development issues.

Web Sightings - City and County Impact Fees (December 15)
Web Sightings - City and County Impact Fees Cities and counties assess impact fees on new development to recover costs incurred in providing public facilities such as roads, schools, and parks that are required to serve them. This month's Web Sightings focuses on city and county impact fees:

Selected Washington Local Government Impact Fee Information

Is Wal-Mart Really Going Green? (December 06)
The mega-retailer has announced a slew of environmentally friendly policies. Is this an honest attempt at change or just more greenwashing from the Biggest Box of Them All? More from Grist Magazine.

Internet Sales Help Downtown Smart Growth Revival (December 01)
Widening use of the Internet by small retailers is enlivening downtowns across the country by enabling merchants to market niche products to a national and global Main Street. More from the Michigan Land Use Institute.

Gas Prices: The Tipping Point Toward Better Development? (December 01)
The findings of a recent Urban Land Institute (ULI) study suggest that higher gas prices may be the "tipping point" that causes a general shift in consumer attitudes toward more concentrated development that is less reliant on autos for mobility. More from ULI.

Working Families Pushed Out of Town, Into Debt (December 01)
One way to close the gap between affordable home prices and rising transportation costs is putting people, homes, and jobs in closer proximity. More from the Michigan Land Use Institute.

Smart City - New Ideas for Land Use (December 01)
After millions of acres have been consumed by sprawling development, many are calling for a new vision of land use in America. Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt describes that vision on this week's Smart City™ radio show.

Visualizing Density (November 22)
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy's "Visualizing Density" web site provides an impartial view of various design approaches at various densities, demonstrating that there are many ways to design neighborhoods and meet density goals.

Seattle Explores Alternative Housing Choices (November 22)
A look at two alternative housing types is being considered for Seattle's single family zones - detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and cottage housing. More from the Seattle Department of Planning & Development.

Planning/Community Development - Alternative Anchors (November 22)
With ambience becoming more important than ever, the gathering place is beginning to replace the anchor. More from Urban Land

Smart Growth Technical Assistance Opportunities (November 22)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and American Institute of Architects (AIA) have developed technical assistance programs to assist communities in meeting their individual development-related challenges.

Safe Neighborhoods Pilot Grant Program (November 22)
The Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) recently announced that it will be requesting competitive grant proposals for the Safe Neighborhoods Through Community Planning Pilot Program. Grant applications are due December 9, 2005.

Who Lives Downtown (November 17)
A new Brookings Institution study in 44 selected cities from 1970 to 2000 finds that downtown populations grew by 10 percent during the 1990s, a marked resurgence following 20 years of overall decline. More from the Brookings Institution.

Parking - Winning Downtowns Stack Their Decks (November 17)
So many cities, universities, hospitals, airports, train stations, corporate parks and housing developments are building upscale parking decks that they now represent a mainstream movement in civic design. More from the Michigan Land Use Institute.

The Return of the Grid (November 17)
After centuries of abuse, gridded streets are finally getting some respect. More from Governing.

Geographic Information System - Field of Beams (November 17)
Communities are using a new generation of portable GIS units to expand their GIS mapping. More from American City & County.

Census Bureau Releases First-Ever Daytime Population Data (November 08)
The U.S. Census Bureau has released its first-ever study of daytime populations for all counties and more than 6,400 places across the country, based on Census 2000 data. More from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Emergency Preparedness Planning for Pandemic Influenza (November 08)
MRSC's new Web page on "Emergency Preparedness Planning for Pandemic Influenza" offers information useful to Washington local government officials working on preparedness plans for responding to an influenza pandemic.

Disaster’s Wake (November 08)
The aftermath of Katrina and Rita has states and localities dusting off their disaster-response plans. But there’s more they could and should be doing. More from Governing.

We're All in This Together (November 08)
The suburbs are far more tied to their cities than most believe. More from Civic Strategies.

The New Suburbanism (November 08)
A recent report from the Planning Center, The New Suburbanism - a Realist's Guide to the American Future (Adobe Acrobat Document2343kb), takes as its premise that the solution to the problems of sprawl lies not in trying to force people into ever denser cities, but in improving on the existing suburban or exurban reality.

Quality Control - Development Handbooks vs. Zoning (November 08)
In Sparks, Nevada, development handbooks are taking the place of traditional zoning. More from Planning Magazine.

The Wrong Target (November 08)
Could chain stores actually be good for the environment? More from Grist Magazine.

Project for Public Spaces Image Collection (November 03)
After working in over 1000 communities around the world and traveling to thousands more, the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) offers an image collection containing over 10,000 images of great public spaces from around the world. More from PPS.

Twenty Lessons From Maryland’s Smart Growth Initiative (November 03)
The principal spokesman for Maryland’s high-profile Smart Growth Initiative analyzes the program's strengths and weaknesses and offers twenty lessons relevant to state and local governments who are struggling with these complex, stubbornly resistant, and politically explosive issues. More from the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.

The Granny Flat Grows Up (November 03)
An award winning Santa Cruz, California, program promotes accessory dwelling units on single-family lots as an alternative to sprawl. More from Metropolis Magazine.

Wal-Mart Looks to Get Even Bigger (November 03)
Wal-Mart Chief Executive Officer Lee Scott said earlier this year that he expects zoning laws to get tougher in the years to come, so Wal-Mart is eager to ramp up expansion now. More from CNN Money.

Transportation - Making the Connection (October 25)
Regardless of their size, communities can realize three major benefits from better connectivity: shorter trips; a wider variety of travel choices; and more cost-effective public services and infrastructure. More from the Planning Commissioners Journal (Adobe Acrobat Document547kb).

Living Too Large in Exurbia (October 19)
Big houses. Big cars. Now, bigger bills. A lifestyle built on cheap energy and cheap credit is in jeopardy. More from Business Week.

New GPS Applications Track Moving Targets (October 19)
Global Positioning Systems have long been used by local governments to map street lines, coordinate pothole repairs and keep track of other stationary features. Now, they are beginning to track moving targets. More from Governing.

Zen & the Art of Bicycling (October 11)
How can public policies make cycling safer and encourage people to ride more often? Hint: It doesn’t involve helmets. More from Governing.

Ten Qualities of Successful Public Markets (October 11)
Much can be learned about what make places great by observing successful markets - and vice versa. The Project for Public Spaces presents 100 well-tested tips on how you can create your own great market.

What Features Make Communities More Walkable? (October 11)
The King County Land Use, Transportation, Air Quality and Health Study (executive summary) (Adobe Acrobat Document935kb) examines the features that help cities and suburban neighborhoods to become less auto-dependent and more foot-friendly.

Main Street Workshop Planned (October 11)
The Washington State Main Street Program will host a workshop about "Organizing a Successful Downtown Revitalization Program Using the Main Street Approach" on November 2 in Connell, Washington and November 3 in Monroe, Washington. More from Access Washington.

Sprawl, Growth Boundaries and the Rehnquist Court (October 11)
A recent Utah Law Review article looks at whether Oregon's urban growth boundaries are constitutional under recent Supreme Court case law and whether the UGB has in fact saved Portland from the social problems caused by sprawl. More from the Social Science Research Network.

School Choice could be an Answer to Sprawl (October 11)
Ignoring the chain of causality between bad schools and sprawl leads many to overlook the simplest and potentially most powerful anti-sprawl measure available. More from Grist Magazine.

Two Municipal WiFi Projects go Forward (October 11)
The cities of Philadelphia and San Francisco reached new milestones on their respective paths toward providing citywide wireless Internet access. More from Government Computer News.

A New View of Sprawl (October 05)
The conventional wisdom about suburbs and sprawl can change dramatically over time. More from Governing.

The Density Dilemma (October 05)
An investigation of compact and transit-oriented development in Texas, California, Oregon, Maryland and Massachusetts suggests serious challenges ahead for density in America. More from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Rethinking the Urban Speedway (October 05)
For decades, highway engineers focused on designing wider, straighter, faster roads. Now, moving traffic quickly is no longer the sole goal. More from Governing.

Governor Gregoire's 2006 Land Use Agenda (October 05)
Governor Gregoire has identified a land use agenda for 2006 that will focus on system improvements, efficiencies to reduce costs, and to provide better clarity for local governments and other GMA participants.

The Great Revival of Public Markets (September 27)
Public markets are making an unprecedented comeback across North America, calling into question a widely accepted notion that we are moving inexorably toward a landscape dominated by big box stores and fast food chains. More from the Project for Public Spaces.

Transportation Planning - Lessons From Katrina and Rita (September 27)
A recent paper from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, "Lessons From Katrina and Rita - What Major Disasters Can Teach Transportation Planners," (Adobe Acrobat Document150kb) examines failures in hurricane Katrina and Rita emergency response and their lessons for transportation planning.

The Economics of Historic Preservation (September 27)
A recent discussion paper from the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, reviews the current findings on the value of historic preservation and the methods used to assess that value. More from the Brookings Institution.

An American Diaspora Mapped (September 21)
E-Podunk used 40,000 Internet postings by Katrina survivors to create a compelling map showing the exodus of Gulf Coast refugees across the United States. More from E-Podunk.

Smart City - Improving Schools and Family Circumstances (September 21)
Two of the most vexing problems cities face are how to improve their schools and how to improve family incomes for those at the bottom of the economic ladder. This week's guests on Smart City™ talk about new approaches to improving schools and family circumstances.

The Incredible Shrinking Box (September 21)
Some big box retailers are reshaping themselves into downtown-ready formats having discovered the benefits of locating in close-in urban neighborhoods. More from the Michigan Land Institute.

NPR Interview - The Challenge of Rebuilding New Orleans (September 12)
The former director of city planning for New Orleans, talks to National Public Radio (NPR) about what has to be done to rebuild the city after the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. More from NPR.

Planning for a Disaster-Resistant Community (September 12)
The American Planning Association's workbook, Planning for a Disaster-Resistant Community,
(Adobe Acrobat Document1576kb), contains information to help you learn about hazards and how they affect communities and how risk assessment is the fact base for mitigation planning.

New Initiative to Look at the Maturing of America (September 12)
The National League of Cities has joined forces with four other national organizations to assess the “aging readiness” of America’s communities and to identify solutions. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Metropolitan and Central City Demographic Shifts Since 2000 (September 12)
A new report from the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program, Metropolitan America in the New Century: Metropolitan and Central City Demographic Shifts Since 2000, analyzes population and migration change using decennial Census data and estimates from 1960 to 2004.

Impact Fees and Housing Affordability (August 30)
The increasing use of impact fees and the costs that they may add to the development process raises serious concerns about their effect on the affordability of housing. More from Cityscape.

Housing Resource Center (August 30)
The California Institute for Local Government's Housing Resource Center Web site offers many helpful resources to assist local officials with housing policy options and issues.

America's Megapolitan Areas (August 30)
Regional economies clearly extend beyond an individual metropolitan area, and the megapolitan concept suggests a new geography to show how these economies are linked. More from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

HGTV's Restore America Grants (August 30)
Home and Garden Television (HGTV), in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will award 6 to 12 Restore America grants in 2006 for the revitalization of places where people live, through grants for residential projects.

New Directions in Housing Policy (August 30)
A report from the National Housing Institute, Building a Better Urban Future - New Directions in Housing Policy for Weak Market Cities, helps government officials and others assess the effectiveness of current revitalization efforts and develop more potent goals and strategies.

Smart City - The Branding of Cities (August 24)
How does a city develop a brand? And why is branding of cities done so badly so often? This week's guests on Smart City™ talk about the branding of cities.

The Attraction of Small Towns (August 24)
In the ebb and flow of American population trends, many older towns and small cities have been treading water. However, as many people now search for lifestyle options, those communities are in a position to play a leading role in managing growth. More from ICMA.

Regulations and Housing Development: What We Know (August 24)
This article assesses the current state of knowledge about the impacts of federal, state, and local regulations on the supply and cost of housing More from Cityscape (Adobe Acrobat Document143kb).

2005 National Main Street Award Winners Announced (August 24)
The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced the winners of the 2005 National Main Street Awards.

Big Man Off Campus (August 24)
Universities are revamping their college towns in an effort to stay competitive. More from Planning Magazine.

Smart City - The Growth of Cities (August 16)
Headlines from newspapers around the country recently reported news from the Census Bureau that the resurgence of cities has ended and their populations are now declining. Is the Census Bureau correct? Find out from this week's guests on Smart City™.

Smart Growth and the Internet (August 16)
As the Internet revolution moves into full bloom, there is every reason to believe it could have a dramatic impact on the architecture and landscape of communities throughout the world. More from Government Technology.

Stuck in Traffic? IT Can Ease the Commute (August 16)
There are a number of technology-related initiatives that promise to ease our chronic traffic woes. More from CIO.

The Mega-City Maker (August 16)
Interstates created mega regions, and mega regions will change how we see this country and its transportation needs. More from Governing.

The World's Best Public Spaces (August 10)
Ten lively locations--from a dazzling museum in St. Louis to an exciting plaza in Brazil--are now being inducted to the Project for Public Spaces' authoritative Great Public Spaces website. More from Making Places.

New Web Page - Infill Development (August 10)
Our new Infill Development page contains information on infill development plans, programs and strategies as well as illustrative examples and case studies.

Is Housing Too Expensive? Blame the Government (August 10)
Maybe zoning laws are causing the real-estate bubble. More from Slate.

Assistance for States on Growth Issues Announced (August 10)
The Governors' Institute on Community Design is intended to support governors' leadership in good community design and sound planning. More from Web Wire.

Thinking Outside the Big Box (August 10)
Some chain stores break free from their typical design to fit into historic neighborhoods. More from Preservation Online.

Web Sightings - Finding Demographic Information (August 02)
There are a myriad of sources of demographic data, starting with the U.S. Census Bureau. Here are some MRSC recommendations for rich sites on Census 2000 data and other population information:

Washington Regional and County Sites

Inventing Civic Solutions (July 19)
"Inventing Civic Solutions," from the Pew Partnership, is a how-to guide on launching and sustaining successful community programs. More from the Pew Partnership.

Smart City - New Uses for Old Railroads (July 19)
Imagining new uses for outdated railroads is creating exciting new opportunities for central cities. This week's guests on Smart City™ talk about the High Line in New York and the Belt Line in Atlanta.

HUD's Affordable Housing Design Advisor (July 19)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Affordable Housing Design Advisor Web site brings together experience and ideas from successful affordable housing projects all over the country.

Market Potential: How Public Markets Breathe Life into Urban Decline (July 19)
Well-managed public markets can be the beating heart of any city—if city leaders have the foresight and good sense to embrace their potential. More from Maisoneuve.

Smart City - Imagining New Futures for Cities (July 13)
How do you cut through the status quo and imagine a different future? This week's guests on Smart City™ have successfully answered that question, one as mayor and one as civic entrepreneur.

Web Sightings - Parking (July 13)
Parking issues, including supply and demand, pricing, and off-street parking standards, are challenging local governments, which must balance the reality of parking needs with the goal of reducing dependence on the automobile. This month we’ve selected a few sites addressing parking, including some new pages developed by MRSC:

Parking Issues from Cities

Seattle Offers Business District Improvement Guide (July 13)
The Seattle Office of Economic Development's "Guide to City and Neighborhood Business District Resources" presents lessons learned and strategies to consider for successful business district improvements.

Privatized Neighborhoods: The Future We Want? (July 13)
Don’t let the recent Supreme Court decision on the New London, Conn., eminent domain case fool you — the powers of local governments aren’t expanding, they’re actually receding. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

New Legislation Affects Permitting for Multi-Family Buildings (July 06)
House Bill 1848, which goes into effect on August 1, 2005, should be carefully reviewed by any city or county that has multi-family buildings under construction or being planned. More from MRSC.

Small Lot Development - When Every Foot Counts (July 06)
Imagine designing a house to fit on a 25-foot-wide lot. That's what Portland, OR, asked architects to do for its Living Smart Project, an effort to create a catalog of attractive houses on the city's popular, but narrow, "in fill" lots. More from American City & County.

Housing - Retail Workers Find Housing Options Severely Limited (July 06)
A new study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that the vast majority of retail sales workers cannot afford to rent housing in most major metropolitan areas without spending a disproportionate share of their incomes. More from the NAHB.

Study Ranks Metropolitan Areas by Transportation and Housing Costs (July 06)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) ranks 28 metropolitan areas by their transportation and housing costs and recommends specific actions governments can take to reduce the burden of transportation costs on families. More from the TRB.

Smart Growth Parking - Best Practices (June 29)
The Maryland Governor's Office of Smart Growth has published Driving Urban Environments: Smart Growth Parking Best Practices (Download Adobe Acrobat Reader 500kb), providing an overview of parking strategies that meet the challenges faced by projects in the context of smart growth.

Smart City - Density and Diversity in Development (June 29)
Density and diversity are two key ingredients missing from much of today's development. This week's guests on Smart City™ talk about how some urban designers and real estate developers are reintroducing these concepts back in to city life. More from Smart City.

Conference Announcement - Driving Change and Getting Results (June 29)
Join practitioners from British Columbia, Oregon and Washington for a unique two-day conference on using performance measures and community indicators to achieve desired outcomes (September 13 & 14 at Bellevue, Washington). More from Sustainable Seattle.

Streets Are People Places (June 29)
The first step in winning back our communities is realizing that cars should not rule the roads. More from Making Places.

The Heart of the Matter (June 29)
In the fight against sprawl, it's mixed-use cores to the rescue. More from Planning Magazine.

Livable Communities Guide for Seniors (June 29)
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) recently published a livable coummunities evaluation guide for seniors and others. More from AARP.

Branding Your Town for Success (June 21)
The city of Collingswood, New Jersey, is fast becoming a blueprint for success on how to market a town successfully. More from New Jersey Municipalities.

Web Sightings - Smart Growth (June 15)
Have you heard about Smart Growth and want to know more? Find out with these links:

Curbing Parking (June 15)
Local zoning laws mandate parking spaces as if empty lots were a virtue. More from Governing.

Affordable Housing - Examples Database (June 15)
In times of economic stress, providing affordable housing becomes both more necessary and more challenging. City leaders have met that challenge by creatively leveraging state, federal, and private funding sources to make the most of community housing resources. More from Nation’s Cities Weekly.

Seattle Fourth in Sustainable U.S. City Rankings (June 15)
Seattle is one of the country’s top ten sustainable cities according to SustainLane’s comprehensive study of sustainable practices in U.S. Cities. More from SustainLane.

Brownfields - From Polluted Shore to Public Trail (June 15)
So often the murkiness and complexity of contaminated sites make it hard to imagine a happy ending for them, but that’s just what’s happening with a former concrete plant located in Kitsap County. More from Building on Brownfields.

Smart City - What's Being Built, Where and Why (June 07)
This week's guests on Smart City™ talk about the latest real estate trends, including what's being built, where and why.

King County Takes First Step to Purchase Rail Corridor (June 07)
King County took action recently to secure earnest money for purchasing the 47 mile Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) eastside rail corridor. The County has signed an exclusive agreement with BNSF to negotiate for four months acquisition of the rail corridor. More from King County.

Transportation - Survivor’s Guide (June 07)
It’s federal, state and local governments — not individuals or even companies — that determine if a transportation idea sinks or swims. More from Governing.

The Effectiveness of Urban Containment Regimes (June 01)
More than 100 metropolitan areas across the US attempt to control sprawl through various forms of urban containment. Is it working? Read the full paper (Adobe Acrobat Document51kb) from the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech.

Law of the Land (June 01)
Voters' challenge to Oregon's stringent land use controls may signal a major shift in the property rights debate nationwide. More from Governing (Adobe Acrobat Document41kb).

The Manchurian Main Street (June 01)
Are shopping districts inspired by New Urbanism a form of cultural brainwashing? More from Metropolis Magazine.

Innovative County Ordinances Save Money and Wetlands (June 01)
The nation’s wetlands are disappearing at the alarming rate of 58,500 acres per year. However, counties across the country are taking the lead in protecting these vital resources. More from NACo's County News.

Creating Great Places (May 24)
Creating Great Places is an initiative of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) that helps governors design and implement state growth and physical development strategies that promote healthy, economically competitive and sustainable communities.

Dwelling Disparities: How Poor Housing Leads to Poor Health (May 24)
Consideration of the health impacts of the built environment--the human-modified places where we live, work, play, shop, and more--has been a key element in the ongoing evolution of the field of environmental health. More from Environmental Health Perspectives.

Regulating Big Box Retail Establishments (May 18)
MRSC’s new Web page on the "Regulation of Large Retail Establishments (Big Box Retail)" provides a variety of examples, regulatory approaches, articles and studies to help with decisions about whether "big box" retail establishments are appropriate in your community, and if so, where and under what circumstances.

Web Sightings – Historic Preservation (May 18)
Web Sightings – Historic Preservation In honor of historic preservation month, we are featuring these helpful historic preservation and cultural resource Web sites:

For more information, see MRSC’s Web page on Historic Preservation.

Public Participation Workshop (May 18)
The University of Washington is offering a new 3-day interactive workshop on the art and science of public involvement, June 15-17, 2005.

Sacredness in the City (May 18)
There are three basic elements to a superior urban experience, declares Author Joel Kotkin: economic power, personal security and sacredness. More from Governing.

Digital Dynamics: You can do THAT with GIS? (May 18)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is pushing beyond its original uses, providing valuable tools for numerous governmental functions. More from NACo’s County News.

EPA Offers Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (May 18)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering an opportunity to apply for free technical assistance that will help you apply smart growth principles to a real challenge in your community.

Transit-Oriented Development (May 18)
Transit-Oriented Development: Developing a Strategy to Measure Success from the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies identifies ten indicators that may be used to systematically monitor and measure the impacts of transit-oriented development.

Property Tax Exemptions Promote Affordable Housing in Seattle (May 09)
To jumpstart affordable development in the Emerald City, Seattle has created a property tax exemption for multifamily housing. More from Breakthroughs.

ICMA Hosts Military Base Closure and Reuse Webcasts (May 09)
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA), will host a series of webcasts on base realignment and closure (BRAC) for local governments and others likely to be affected by the 2005 BRAC round. More from ICMA.

Pay As You Park (May 09)
UCLA professor Donald Shoup has been preaching for years that parking spaces should be considered a community asset, not a freebie. More from Planning Magazine.

Parking as a Neighborhood Asset (May 04)
Why wait for rail when community parking can help create pedestrian-oriented areas? More from The Planning Report.

Legal War Brews in Oregon over Land Use Rights (May 04)
There's a new challenge to Oregon laws aimed at controlling suburban development. More from National Public Radio.

The Fast Lane (May 04)
As gridlock gets worse and technology improves, the use of toll lanes and other market-based tools to regulate rush-hour driving is gaining acceptance. More from Governing.

Trains and Parking: Time to Check True Costs? (April 25)
New and expanded train systems, or just more parking spaces? Which should Americans pay for? More from the Washington Post Writer's Group.

Why Have Housing Prices Gone Up? (April 25)
A recent paper from the Harvard Institute of Economic Research, "Why Have Housing Prices Gone Up?" (Adobe Acrobat Document135kb) argues that regulatory obstacles are the primary reason housing prices have risen so much since the 1970s.

Pride of Place - What Makes Outdoor Spaces Successful? (April 19)
Fred Kent has spent three decades developing a common-sense approach to streets, buildings and human sociability. More from Governing.

Pave Paradise? No, Ditch the Parking Lot (April 19)
For years urbanists have tried a wide assortment of tactics to reduce the damage that parking inflicts on communities. Now comes UCLA urban planning professor Donald C. Shoup with a radical, yet carefully argued prescription: Governments should stop requiring off-street parking. More from New Urban News.

NLC Examples Database: Traffic Solutions for Cities (April 19)
The National League of Cities (NLC) has collected several examples that show how cities have used planning, technology, and creativity to keep traffic moving. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Schools & City Collaborate On New Joint-Use Primary Center (April 19)
School districts and cities too often operate independently, as within silos, when making capitol investment in public facilities. But, the city and school district of Pasadena are proving themselves exceptional as they collaboratively explore creating a new community-centered, mixed-use, family friendly school facility. More from New Schools Better Neighborhoods.

The Mall Goes Undercover - It Now Looks Like a City Street (April 14)
The irony is almost too perfect: Malls (reincarted as "lifestyle centers") are now being designed to resemble the downtown commercial districts they replaced. More from Slate.

Farm Wars (April 14)
Can "right to farm" laws resolve growing land use conflicts? More from The Next American City.

The Designer Discount - Density Keeps Energy Costs Down (April 14)
Compact community design can save just as much gas as a well designed car engine. More from the Michigan Land Institute.

Developing Sustainable Transport Indicators (April 06)
A new paper from the Victoria Transport Institute, Well Measured - Developing Indicators for Comprehensive and Sustainable Transport Planning (Adobe Acrobat Document246kb), provides guidance on the selection of indicators for comprehensive and sustainable transport planning.

Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing (March 29)
A recent report from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Why Not in Our Community? – Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing, (Adobe Acrobat Document541kb) describes recent trends in regulatory barriers to affordable housing and reviews recent efforts by states and local communities to reduce regulatory barriers.

ADA Guide for Small Towns (March 29)
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Guide for Small Towns presents an informal overview of some basic ADA requirements and provides cost- effective tips on how small towns can comply with the ADA.

Smart City - The Preservation of Place and Memory (March 29)
One of the powerful ties that bind is history, particularly as it is reflected in the places we build and preserve. This week’s Smart City™ radio show guests talk about how communities can capture and preserve their histories.

Higher Density Development – Myth and Fact (March 23)
A recent publication from the Urban Land Institute, Higher Density Development – Myth and Fact (Adobe Acrobat Document1165kb), examines the myths surrounding higher-density development and offers counter arguments to help reduce the many barriers such developments face.

Smart City - Downtown Revitalization and the Arts (March 23)
The latest Smart City™ radio features interviews with the authors of two recently released studies that offer provocative new perspectives on downtown revitalization and the arts.

2005 Top 10 Best U.S. Walking Cities (March 23)
An American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) study reveals the top ten walker-friendly cities in the country. More from APMA.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Affordable Housing Measures (March 23)
After developing a series of recommendations for reducing regulatory barriers to affordable housing, taskforces in Burlington, Vermont; Columbus, Ohio; and Dallas, Texas established mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of these measures. More from Breakthroughs.

Information and Market-Based Community Development (March 23)
Two complementary papers from the Metropolitan Policy Program's Urban Markets Initiative, examine the role of information resources in spurring markets and creating investment strategies to boost urban neighborhoods. More from Brookings.

City Prevails On U.S. Supreme Court Cell Tower Case (March 23)
On March 22nd the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Section 1983 damages (which include attorney fees) are not available to those who challenge a local government's decision to deny a permit for installation or operation of a cell tower. The case is City of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA v. Abrams. For further information, contact Jim Doherty at MRSC.

How Do You Deal with a Proposal for a New Wal-Mart Supercenter? (March 15)
Should you or should you not support the location of a Wal-Mart store in or near your community? This is a question that has been asked and answered by some 3,000 communities in the United States since Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart in 1962. More from Public Management.

Mapping ROI for Geospatial Projects (March 15)
Local government IT managers can find significant return on investment (ROI) for geospatial projects if they look in the right places. More from American City & County.

Turning Around Downtown (March 09)
A recent report from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Turning Around Downtown: Twelve Steps to Revitalization (Adobe Acrobat Document365kb), outlines twelve fundamental steps for a downtown turnaround plan.

Genius of the European Town Square (March 09)
One of the greatest inventions of the European city, indeed one could not conceive of most European cities without it, is the central town square or market place. More from International Making Cities Livable.

NACo’s Grants Clearinghouse makes Finding Money Easier (March 09)
The National Association of County Officials (NACo) has developed a Grants Clearinghouse to streamline and simplify the grant-seeking process for member counties. More from NACo’s County News.

Technical Guide – Low Impact Development (March 01)
The Puget Sound Action Team along with Washington State University Pierce County Extension is now offering comprehensive and new information in their Low Impact Development Technical Guidance Manual for Puget Sound.

Smart City - Using Nature to Make Lovable Places (March 01)
Preserving the natural environment depends increasingly on what happens in cities. The latest Smart City™ radio show features a discussion about the impact of cities on nature and vice versa.

The Public Health Roots of Zoning (March 01)
Legal, historical, and policy rationales support the modernization of zoning and land use policies that allow sensible mixes of land uses. Mixed land uses make walking an attractive alternative to driving and support a more physically active and healthy citizenry. More from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine(Adobe Acrobat Document188kb).

A First Look at the Census’s Gated Community Data (March 01)
A new report from the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, Security versus Status? A First Look at the Census’s Gated Community Data (Adobe Acrobat Document209kb), examines the Census' "Gated Community" data and discusses the myths and realities surrounding gated communities.

Denver Voters Gallop to Smart Growth (March 01)
Denver residents love light rail. And in a metropolitan region expected to add one million more people within 20 years, they want more of it. More from the Michigan Land Use Institute.

Should Cities Convert One-Way Streets to Two-Way? (February 24)
The latest fad among urban planners is to convert one-way streets to two-way. The goal, they say, is to slow down traffic and make streets more pedestrian friendly. More from the Thoreau Institute.

Transportation - The Long View (February 24)
When we decide to build a new highway or train line, we think about unclogging traffic jams. That is shortsighted. More from Governing.

Smart Growth America Offers Shareware (February 24)
Smart Growth America has released a CD-ROM "library" of smart growth resources for everyone interested in creating livable, well-planned communities. It is available free while supplies last.

Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? (February 24)
A report from the Transportation Research Board, Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? Examining the Evidence (Adobe Acrobat Document1065kb), reviews the relationships between physical activity, health, transportation, and land use.

Entertaining Development (February 24)
Retail entertainment has exceeded the seemingly inflated expectations of a decade ago. More from Urban Land.

2005 Urban Sustainability Forum (February 24)
The Urban Land Institute has partnered with the City of Seattle to bring you the 2005 Urban Sustainability Forum, a series of engaging public discussions designed to inspire Seattle business leaders and citizens to create a shared vision of urban sustainability.

The Great City (Seattle) (February 15)
A recent Seattle Times commentary by Bruce Katz and David Jackson suggests that, despite the Puget Sound region's strengths, it must address three key issues—transportation, housing, and schools—if it is to become truly great. More from the Brookings Institution.

The Suburbs are Here to Stay, so Stop Complaining (February 15)
Architects, environmentalists, and planners should apply their energies—not their contempt and condemnation—to America's suburbs. More from Architecture Magazine.

Designating the Urban Interstates (February 15)
An article from the U.S. Department of Transportation offers an historical perspective on how the urban Interstates were selected and the controversy that still surrounds their impacts on our cities. More from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Creative Class War: The Debate over Richard Florida’s Ideas (February 15)
Cities must move away from funding corporate tax breaks and big-ticket white elephants designed to stimulate the economy and focus more on grassroots innovation and small-scale creativity. More from Maisonneuve.

Credentials for Building Departments may Lower Insurance Costs (February 15)
Building departments and the public they serve will benefit from a new accreditation program offered by the International Accreditation Service (IAS). More from NACo’s County News.

Schools as Centers of Innovation in and for Their Communities (February 15)
Communities have always had high expectations for their schools. Lately, those expectations have risen even higher. Political and civic leaders recognize that successful schools can contribute to community revitalization and economic development. More from Nation’s Cities Weekly.

Web Sightings – Takings and Property Rights (February 09)
Following the November 2004 adoption of Measure 37 by Oregon voters, Washington and other states are facing the possibility of similar property rights initiatives. Measure 37 requires state and local government to compensate property owners for regulations that restrict the use of property and reduce its fair market value, or not apply the regulation. A ballot proposition like Measure 37 imposes compensation requirements based on local government land use regulations that go far beyond the compensation requirements of the takings clauses of the federal and state constitutions. Here are some links to Web sites that address property rights and land use regulation, including issues of takings and compensation:

Smart City - New Approaches to Revitalization (February 09)
This week’s Smart City™ radio show guests represent a new breed of economic and community developers who are experimenting with fresh ideas and finding success in revitalizing communities. More from Smart City.

As Street Trees Die, Cities Search for Ways to Stay Green (February 09)
American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization, has found that tree cover is declining in many North American urban areas. Toronto, its tree cover rapidly thinning, is one city looking for solutions. More from New Urban News.

APA Publishes Draft Policy Guide on Security (February 01)
The American Planning Association (APA) recently published a draft security policy guide offering security-related policy recommendations for planners and elected officials. More from APA.

New HUD Award on Reducing Affordable Housing Barriers (February 01)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is accepting nominations and intends to recognize 10 local governments for their outstanding work to encourage the production of homes affordable to working families. More from NACo’s County News.

Smart City - What Makes a City Unique? (January 26)
What makes a city unique? Is it the people? Its history? The buildings? Its natural setting? This week's guests on Smart City'sTM talk about how cities develop unique qualities and how they can then capitalize on their uniqueness for economic advantage.

Technology Boosts Parking Management (January 26)
New technologies are allowing parking operations to share data with other departments, generate revenue and streamline operations. More from American City & County.

Toward a New Metropolis (January 19)
A report from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Toward a New Metropolis: The Opportunity to Rebuild America (Adobe Acrobat Document321kb), answers the question: How many new homes, office buildings, and other physical structures will need to be built to accommodate future growth?

Demographic Trends to Shape Future U.S. Housing Markets (January 19)
Three powerful demographic forces will shape housing in the future, determining who will buy homes, where they'll buy them and what they will be like. More from Housing Zone.

APA Offers Affordable Housing Reader (January 12)
The American Planning Association (APA) has assembled more than 100 documents and articles from APA publications that examine the affordable housing problem in the U.S. and identify and evaluate various solutions. More from APA.

Get MRSC Web Site Updates and Quarterly Newsletter by E-mail (January 04)
Subscribe to MRSC's free bi-weekly Web site updates and quarterly newsletter and get all of the latest local government news and information delivered right to your desktop.

Planetizen’s 2004 Top 10 Book List (January 04)
Planetizen’s editorial staff offers their list of top 10 books published in 2004 for the urban planning, development and design professions.

Web Sightings - 2004 (January 04)
In case you missed them, here's a look back at 2004's Web Sightings:

Rental Housing Out of Reach for Most Low Wage Earners (January 04)
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) report, Out of Reach, shows that the cost of rental housing in the U.S. is out of reach for the vast majority of low wage earners. The report provides a comparison of wages and rents in every county, Metropolitan Statistical Area, and state in the United States. More from the NLIHC.

Smart City - A Compelling Vision for Cities (January 04)
What makes a compelling vision for a mid-size city in America? Tucson City Manager Jim Keene and Greenville, South Carolina Mayor Knox White, take up this question in a recent Smart City" radio show.

The Future Isn’t What It Used To Be (January 04)
A paper from the Victoria Transit Institute, "The Future Isn’t What It Used To Be - Changing Trends And Their Implications For Transport Planning," (Adobe Acrobat Document588kb) examines various demographic, economic and market trends that affect travel demand, and their implications for transport planning.

Evaluating Rail Transit Criticism (January 04)
A report from the Victoria Transit Institute, Evaluating Rail Transit Criticism, (Adobe Acrobat Document200kb) examines claims that rail transit is ineffective at improving transportation system performance, and that rail transit investments are not cost effective, and finds that critics often misrepresent issues and use biased and inaccurate analysis.