Yesterday was a bad day for Toronto mayor Rob Ford as his quest to see a proposed streetcar for Sheppard Avenue East replaced with a subway to to Scarborough was dashed by the City Council. Kelly Grant has the details.
Toronto's first-term mayor Rob Ford suffered a decisive defeat yesterday in his fight over the future of transit in the city, as "City council voted 24-19 in favour of building a $1-billion light-rail line on Sheppard Avenue East, scuttling Mr. Ford's promise of a subway to Scarborough."
According to Grant, "The decision came despite Mr. Ford making two passionate pleas for underground transit on the second day of a special transit meeting. In one of his most animated speeches since taking office, Mr. Ford shouted: 'People hate the St. Clair. They hate these streetcars. You can call them what you want. People want subways, folks. Subways, subways. They don't want these damn streetcars blocking up our city.'"
The light-rail vote was the latest in a series of defeats handed to Ford by the City Council, "which already this year has swept his allies off the Toronto Transit Commission, revived most of his predecessor's light-rail network and watered-down his budget."
In a post for Spacing Toronto, John Lorinc was more direct in his appraisal of Ford's political fiasco. "The Great Subway Battle of 2012™ was Mayor Rob Ford's to lose, and he lost it with such single-mindedness and determination that this episode may well go down in Toronto history as the textbook example of political self-immolation."
FULL STORY: Toronto council votes for light-rail transit, kills Mayor Ford's subway plan

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie