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Presentation | 2012
Funding Public Parks in Tough Times: An Innovation Agenda
Jamie Torres Springer
This presentation focuses on the role that parks and libraries play as contributors to broader urban policy objectives. How do libraries and parks affect and leverage the quality of life, sustainability, and economic growth in the city? In a period of fiscal austerity, what are the appropriate roles for the public sector, the private sector and the scope for partnerships in both the funding and management of these spaces?
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Presentation | 2012
Shared Spaces: Funding and Managing Libraries and Parks in Tough Times
Siobhan Reardon
This presentation focuses on the role that parks and libraries play as contributors to broader urban policy objectives. How do libraries and parks affect and leverage the quality of life, sustainability, and economic growth in the city? In a period of fiscal austerity, what are the appropriate roles for the public sector, the private sector and the scope for partnerships in both the funding and management of these spaces?
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Book | 2012
A Tale of Two Taxes: Property Tax Reform in Ontario
Richard M. Bird, Enid Slack, and Almos Tassonyi
This book examines the broad reform of the Ontario property tax in 1998. The objectives of this reform included introducing a full market value assessment, establishing a property tax system that would be widely accepted, and removing property tax reform from the provincial political agenda. Although the reform effort was lauded by experts at the time, its overall objectives were not achieved. In fact, the new assessment system may have ultimately weakened the role of the local property tax. Good property tax design needs to recognize the important differences between taxing housing and taxing business property.
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Presentation | 2012
Political Economy of Urban Tax Reform in Brazil
Monica Pinhanez
Monica Pinhanez discusses the current tax system in Brazil, including the tax structure and regulations of federal, subnational states, and local governments. She also examines the municipal tax system and revenue collection, analyzing the role and duties of local government in the current Brazilian federal system, and the reforms that are taking place at the local level.
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Presentation | 2011
The Practice and Regulation of Municipal Loans and Bankruptcies in Hungary: The Challenges in 2011.
Izabella Barati-Stec
Since municipal sector spending represents almost 14% of Hungarian GDP, imbalances in municipal finance have a measurable effect at the macroeconomic level. The current government is setting new rules on local borrowing. With the rare two-thirds majority in parliament, it has the chance to introduce long awaited reforms, although they are likely to be met by intense opposition at the local level.
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Presentation | 2011
Villain or Scapegoat?: The Ontario Municipal Board and Land Use Planning in Ontario
Aaron A. Moore
This presentation contrasts the institutions, law, and practices of planning in Ontario with other jurisdictions in Canada and the US. It concludes that the public's frustration with the OMB masks larger issues present in Ontario's planning regime, issues that the removal of the OMB will not address.
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Presentation | 2011
Planning a Region: Infrastructure and and Imagination for North America's Largest City-Region
Bob Yaro
This talk features Bob Yaro, President of the Regional Plan Association, New York City.
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IMFG Paper | 2011
Are There Trends in Local Finance?
Richard M. Bird
There is little evidence of regional, let alone worldwide, trends in local finances. In analyzing and comparing country experiences, it is important to be clear about the different (implicit or explicit) normative models to be found in the literature and exemplified in practice in different countries.
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Search Research Archive
Toronto Star: City Manager’s Address Covered by Columnist Edward Keenan
November 28, 2024
Journal of Commerce: Aaron Moore on Winnipeg’s Funding Deal with the Federal Government
November 19, 2024
CBC Ottawa Morning: Enid Slack on Fixing Municipal Fiscal Health
November 15, 2024