Chicago's Mayor Emanuel's proposed tax would be used for the benefit of transit.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposal to tax ride sharing services will help poor Americans, argues The Washington Post Editorial Board.
While many have touted ride sharing as an alternative to car ownership that might reduce traffic and vehicle miles traveled (VMT), the rise of services like Uber and Lyft seem to be doing the opposite. "Half or more of all ride-hailing trips would not have been made at all, or would have been undertaken by foot, bicycle or transit," according to The Washington Post. Keeping people off mass transit means less funding for transit and less investment in transit from those who can afford Uber. "In a new transportation study from the University of California at Davis, researchers confirm what many urban officials already suspected — that bus and rail-system passengers are also being lured away," according to The Washington Post.
"Services such as Uber are in fact generating traffic, then they are a mixed blessing and should be treated accordingly by policymakers," they write, concluding that, "it is equitable to raise revenue from services such as Uber, which are used disproportionately by wealthier passengers, for the benefit of transit, which serves a mass clientele."
Mayor Emanuel has been given the nickname Mayor One Percent, because his moves to remove services from poor areas and people in the city. The editorial suggests that this proposal might do something to temper that reputation.
FULL STORY: Want to help poorer Americans? Tax Uber
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.