Infrastructure
Two L.A. River Experts On Funding, Governance, and Gehry
Los Angeles made progress toward revitalizing the L.A. River when the preferred restoration plan won an important approval. But the project also saw a jump in price and a change in cost-share, leaving some wondering where the money will come from.

Mapping Fun: Where Seattle Has No Sidewalks
Not all streets are created equal: Some have sidewalks and some don't.
De Blasio Could Open the Times Square Pedestrian Plaza to Cars
Exotic street performers in the plaza have caused Mayor Bill de Blasio to reconsider his initial opposition to street plazas. Unlike his police commissioner and the governor, de Blasio has yet to make a decision on the removal of Times Square plaza.
San Francisco Breaking Down Silos to Plan for Resilience
As San Francisco's Chief Resilience Officer, Patrick Otellini’s job is to beef up city defenses against crises—a broad mandate that has him tackling seismic safety and water security through capital planning, utilities, and housing affordability.

Mayors Are Taking an Interest in Infrastructure
Mayoral races and State of the City speeches highlight the growing political importance of local infrastructure initiatives.
Kentucky Landfill No Longer Accepting New York's Trash
East Coast states will no longer be able to send their waste to a landfill in Kentucky—where regulators and residents clearly got more than they bargained for.
Sound Transit's East Link Rail Line Needs $20 Million More for Engineering
Sound Transit had to deliver bad news last week about cost overruns in the design and engineering phase of the East Link rail project that will cross Lake Washington along the path of Interstate 90.

Next Steps for the City of Freeways
It is difficult to imagine a time when Los Angeles' freeways symbolized access, efficiency, and modernity. Now that the city's love affair with freeways is nearly spent, what future do we envision for them?
Complex Traffic Signals Make for Dangerous Intersections
When it comes to intersections, adding more complexity can do more harm than good, according to a recent, detailed post on Greater Greater Washington.
TIF Shifts to the Suburbs in Minnesota
A common and sometimes controversial funding mechanism is growing in popularity in suburban Minnesota, even as its use in the urban core decreases.
Debriefing the Former Chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Crain's New York Business calls on the experience of Chris Ward to the state of infrastructure in New York.
$1.2 Billion 'Energy Strong' Project Construction Making Life Difficult in New Jersey
A complex infrastructure investment project to build resilience into the energy grid is snarling traffic in North and Central New Jersey.
Port of Houston Breaking Cargo Records
Local businesses and a global economy are driving growth at the Port of Houston. More opportunity growth could be on its way soon, too.
Condition on San Diego's New Airport Parking Lot: Make Sure People Don't Use It
A deal between the San Diego International Airport and the California Coastal Commission will pave the way for a 3,000-space parking garage—in the hopes that people don’t use it.
Small Starts Funding Cut Jeopardizes Critical SMART Train Extension
After a Senate committee slashed the Small Starts grant program, the new Marin-Sonoma "SMART" train may not be extended from San Rafael to the Larkspur ferry landing, a critical link enabling rail commuters to take the ferry to San Francisco.
Florida County Commissioners to Vote on Increased Gas Tax
Florida counties have their own gas taxes and can raise them without going to a vote by the people. Due to a road budget shortfall, the Santa Rosa County Commission will vote on August 13 whether to raise the gas tax as much as six cents per gallon.

The Protected Intersection for Bicycles Has Arrived
The city of Davis, California, a college town with extremely high commute mode share for bikes, made history last week as the first U.S. city to build a protected intersection for bikes.
The 1989 Roots of Louisiana's Transportation Funding Mess
Incomplete projects proposed in the Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development plan have saddled Louisiana with increasing debt and less money for maintenance.
A Call for Long-Term Federal Transportation Funding
When Congress recently failed yet again to pass a long-term surface transportation bill, Representative Earl Blumenauer decided it was time for a reality check.

Another Study Shows That Narrow Is Safer Than Wide for Traffic Lanes
Better Cities & Towns gives its imprimatur to the "narrower is better" approach to lane width for traffic safety thanks to a study by Toronto transportation planner, Dewan Masud Karim, presented at the Canadian ITE annual conference.
Pagination
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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.
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