It's been called a white elephant and a boondoggle, but Stanford rail historian Richard White went further in his interview in the NYT by comparing it with escalating involvement in an unwinnable war.
California appears to be the anomaly in the high-speed rail public works projects in America - that's how NYT reporter Adam Nagourney begins his report on the state's struggling rail project that is far from beaten after the updated business plan released on Nov. 1. left many questioning the merits of going forward with the costly project.
"The pro-train constituency has not been derailed by a state report this month that found the cost of the bullet train tripling to $98 billion for a project that would not be finished until 2033, by news that Republicans in Congress are close to eliminating federal high-speed rail financing this year....."
"Look, it's really difficult when you talk about something of this scale," said John A. Pérez, the speaker of the State Assembly. "There never is a right time to do it. The reality is the longer you wait, the more it costs you."
The first phase is now fully funded, but that doesn't deter Stanford's White.
"What (the rail authority) is hoping is that this will be to high-speed rail what Vietnam was to foreign policy: that once you're in there, you have to get in deeper. The most logical outcome to me is we are going to have a white elephant in the San Joaquin Valley." Cornell's Richard Geddes adds his skeptism: "Based on historical experience, I tend to be skeptical of the rider projections that I see."
With Gov. Brown on board, the next step lies with the legislature to release $2.7 billion in state bond funds for the 130-mile Central Valley construction.
"We don't want to give this up," said Alan Lowenthal, the chairman of the State Senate Select Committee on High-Speed Rail. "We're a state that wants to build it. We want the responsibility. We just want to make sure that what we do is successful."
Thanks to Loren Spiekerman
FULL STORY: California Bullet Train Project Advances Amid Cries of Boondoggle

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)