An obscure new rule pushed through the Federal Highway Administration requires public toll roads to collect 'fair market value' from drivers, rather than to serve the public interest.
[A] state government will now be required to assess how much a private company might bid for the right to operate a road under a private concession agreement. Then it would be required to charge the 'market-determined' rate, regardless of whether that is best for the public. The goal is to force government to administer toll roads according to the logic of the marketplace, and by this means, gradually push the management of public roads into the hands of private vendors.
Normally, Republicans rail against new layers of bureaucratic 'red tape,' which this 'market-valuation' requirement surely is. But in this case, the rule is a quiet attempt to force government to adopt the logic of the market in its decision-making. Once the profit-driven norms of the market become the default, the customary logic of government-provisioning of roads will be seen as suspect.
Private toll roads are becoming increasingly common ways of building new roads because they are easier to build than conventional government-financed roads. Many states have bond limits that make it hard to raise capital to finance construction, so it can be easier to raise money if a private developer provides the upfront cash."
FULL STORY: Privatizing Public Roads Just Got Easier

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)