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The Planetizen News Brief

25 September 2008 - 5:00am
Smart City Radio

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

Full Transcript

Transportation is in big trouble in America. Despite a recent $8 billion patch-job to temporarily bail out the federal government’s Highway Trust Fund, many analysts predict that the cash infusion will only keep the fund going for another year. A recent editorial from the Washington Post argues that the government needs to start getting creative about how it funds transportation projects, otherwise budget shortfalls are going to become commonplace. Relying on old funding methods like gas taxes may become irrelevant as fuel efficiency increases and more people start taking transit. The Post suggests following the lead of Oregon, where a test program has been charging drivers a tax on how many miles they drive, rather than how many gallons of gas they buy. Throw in extra fees during rush hour, they say, and that struggling transportation fund could be humming in no time. But with neither mainstream presidential candidate making transportation funding a major aspect of their campaign, a new administration may not necessarily mean new solutions.

Meanwhile, in cities around the country, officials are beginning to think twice about parking. They’re reconsidering long-held requirements in cities that say how many parking spaces have to be built for each new unit of housing. These parking minimums are being seen by some as having less and less meaning, as the car-free lifestyle picks up in cities all over the U.S. A recent article from the Associated Press looks at these parking minimums, which many planners say make cities worse places to be. With required parking, ugly lots and parking spaces fill up the urban environment, they say. For people looking for parking spots, however, minimum requirements make perfect sense. But some urban-minded officials think there are more important aspects of a city than easy-to-find parking. Milwaukee is one that has loosened parking requirements, and Washington D.C. is considering following suit.

And in New York, space once dedicated to cars is being handed over to pedestrians. A series of traffic lanes in Manhattan are being converted into public plaza, complete with benches, landscaping, and now, people. An article in USA Today looks at the city’s newest public places, which are part of a citywide plan to have at least one park within a 10-minute walk of all New York City residents. Opponents say the parks do little more than take away driving space in an already congested city, but city officials don’t seem to mind the criticism. They have plans to build four more of these plazas every year.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

Fixing The Highway Trust Fund

Cities Reconsider Mandatory Parking

Traffic Lanes Turned Pedestrian Plazas

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