Had a deal with Sen. Tom Coburn not been reached on Friday, a shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration would have begun Saturday morning. Coburn's issue, characterized by NPR as 'flowers vs. bridges', will be dealt with in final bill.
Rather than using the term, 'transportation enhancements' that amount to 1.5 percent of federal transportation funds, NPR reporter Tamara Keith opted to use 'beautification projects' in her description of Sen. Coburn's concern that caused the hold-up:
"Senator Coburn was concerned about part of the bill that directs a small share of highway finding to beautification projects. So, bike paths, museums, beautification on the side of the roads that type of thing. And what he was saying is that states should be able to choose whether they spend money on those things or direct all of their federal funds to bridge repairs and highways."
As the Streetsblog pie-chart shows, landscaping/scenic beautification account for 13%, transportation museums for 1.5%, while bike and pedestrian programs account for 50% of what are generically called 'enhancements'.
Sens. Boxer (D-CA) and Inhoff (R-OK) "spent a lot of time working with Senator Coburn on an agreement that in the longer-term highway bill so not this one, these temporary extensions, but the long-term, more permanent bill that his concerns would be addressed. And so they apparently agreed that in the future, states will be able to decide if they want to pay for flowers or pay for bridges." (sic).
From Streetsblog Capitol Hill: Last-Minute Deal Preserves Bike/Ped Funding. But For How Long?: "In exchange for releasing his stranglehold on the Senate (and the estimated 80,000 workers that could lose their jobs, at least temporarily, if the FAA bill lapsed) Coburn will get to insert his language into the long-term bill, when this latest extension expires."
Thanks to Steve Sondheim
FULL STORY: Coburn Agrees To A Deal On FAA Extension

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont