The professionals who keep community center roofs from leaking, build the roads thousands of people take to work every day and who line up with police and firefighters on the front lines of disasters met at McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill., … Continue reading →
The 118th annual International Municipal Signal Association public safety conference brought traffic engineers from across a broad region to the mountains of Arizona for education, networking and to attend the 36th annual public safety school. Reducing congestion and increasing first … Continue reading →
Placemaking continues to grow nationwide, in municipalities like Oviedo, Fla.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Savannah, Ga. — and even on an international scale, from South Korea to Canada and the United Arab Emirates. While not a new concept, placemaking encourages municipal … Continue reading →
Seven years ago the state of Michigan embraced placemaking — not as a buzzword, but to develop a dialogue. “Our board (Michigan Municipal League) challenged us to be more proactive with what was going on economically,” said Arnold Weinfield, director … Continue reading →
What better place to celebrate the spirit of modern engineering than Daniel Burnham’s “City of the Big Shoulders?” Chicago opens its doors to public works professionals from all over the world next month during the American Public Works Association annual … Continue reading →
In 2011, when The Papers Inc., a publishing company headquartered in Milford, Ind., took over ownership of a young publication aimed at municipalities, we knew we had something relevant to say to those responsible for keeping cities safe, purchasing municipal … Continue reading →
Guest Column by William Bertera Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure Sustainability for infrastructure projects can be a hard sell for small and mid-sized communities. It can appear to add costs to a project without demonstrable benefits … other than to “do … Continue reading →
Whenever and wherever tragedy occurs, Americans respond. Superstorm Sandy, the Newtown shooting, the Boston Marathon bombing and tornados ripping through the heart of Oklahoma have all prompted folks to dig deep in order to help those affected by disaster. However, … Continue reading →
The priorities for public building projects these days, be it a new sheriff’s department, sports complex or four-lane overpass, are impossibly conflicting. Even after you organize those priorities by weight — I’m assuming public safety would be first, followed by … Continue reading →
While the recession has been declared officially over by most economists, local governments continue to feel the impact of the 2008 global financial meltdown and housing crisis. Unlike downturns of the past, the current recovery looks much different from anything … Continue reading →
Fire and fire-based EMS operations are on the defensive, both from members of the public and from those who write their paychecks. Since 9/11, public opinion of the fire service has remained high. But at the same time, city managers, … Continue reading →
