When San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener proclaimed last month that his city "should always have a subway under construction," there were many doubters due to the funds required and unlikelihood of federal support. "Aggressive" is good, says Foxx.
Transit officials from throughout the country were gathered this week in the City by the Bay to attend the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Public Transit Association (APTA). Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, transportation beat reporter for the San Francisco Examiner, writes that "while [DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx] only took a handful of questions from local journalists in 10 minutes, perhaps the most controversial concerned San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener’s proposed Subway Master Plan."
The plan would task San Francisco with ‘always’ building a subway, until it has a network of tunnels across The City.
The Examiner asked if Foxx approves of such an ambitious plan – especially in light of dwindling federal funds, which are key to capital projects.
Foxx gave all the reasons to be hesitant to pursue such an aggressive plan. Federal transit funding has gone from an 80 percent match to a 50 percent match, and "you're lucky to get that." The future for federal transit funding is uncertain, particularly with Republicans in charge of Congress.
With that in mind, Foxx said, local transit agencies should still aggressively pursue capital projects, like the Subway Master Plan.
Wiener's reaction: “Secretary Foxx’s support sends a powerful signal that we are on the right track in pursuing this plan. We need to work hard to convince other policymakers of the Secretary’s vision.”
San Francisco is currently building the the 1.7-mile, $1.6 billion Central Subway from Caltrain to Chinatown, and is "studying an extension of the subway to Fisherman's Wharf."
Hat tip: MTC-ABAG Library
FULL STORY: U.S. Secretary of Transportation approves of ‘aggressive projects’ like SF subway master plan

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie