Bill Fulton, Mayor of the City of Ventura, reports that within moments of launching paid parking on downtown streets drivers began behaving as intended, with all-day parkers moving to new lots.
Fulton writes:
"Within a half-hour of the time paid parking was instituted in Downtown Ventura this morning, the parking universe had been turned upside down. The free offstreet parking lots, usually two-thirds empty in the morning, was mostly full. And the paid on-street parking spaces which are mostly occupied on a typical morning, were mostly vacant.
The paid parking portion of the downtown parking management program had gone into effect at 10 a.m., and it was already showing results. People who park all day downtown had moved into the lots and the upper levels of the parking garage. Spaces on the street were available for shoppers, diners, and others who were running short-term errands. In other words, only 30 minutes after we instituted the parking management program, it was working."
Thanks to Bill Fulton
Read the full story: Parking Management That Actually Manages Parking
Nashville Opens First Permanent Parklet
The city recently created a parklet permit process designed to help local businesses replace street parking with interactive public spaces.
Pick a Spot to Enjoy Park(ing) Day
First appearing in San Francisco in 2005, Park(ing) Day aims to call attention to the need for more urban open space by taking over parking spots and re-purposing them as temporary public spaces. Today it is being celebrated across the world.
Searching for Subversion in Boston
I've always wanted, but never quite had the cred, to go to Burning Man. Instead, I went to this year's rendition of National Park(ing) Day in the hopes that it would provide a reasonable, if diminuative, substitute in temporary parks across the country. Creative minds can do a lot with 180 square feet, especially when there are straight-laced passers-by to shock and paradigms to subvert.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy
The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello