Bird and Lime launched their "Day Without A Scooter" protest this week.
Kate Cagle reports what's really two pieces of new from the front line of the scooter wars: one has to do with the city choosing companies for a bike and scooter share pilot, and the other has to do with the response of the companies left out of that contract:
Bird Scooters suddenly shuttered their operations in Santa Monica Monday afternoon in a bold move to save their business here. The local start-up failed to get the endorsement of a key committee for the City’s official electric scooter pilot program launching this September. After flooding the City with scooters over the summer in an attempt to compete, Lime also failed to win the endorsement.
The committee recommended Jump (owned by Uber) and Lyft for contracts to launch e-bike and e-scooters business in the city.
Bird has responded by launching its protest, cutting off operations in the city—and the action does still have a chance to sway policy. Planning Director David Martin, not the committee, will make the final decision about which companies are awarded the contract under the pilot program.
Kate Cagle reported on the details of the pilot program when it was announced earlier this summer.
Laura Newberry also reports on the actions in Santa Monica, focusing more on the protest by Lime and Bird.
FULL STORY: Bird and Lime scramble to rally fans to save Santa Monica operations
Electric Bikes and Scooters Legalized in New York City
The City Council has legalized electric scooters and bikes. A citywide shared electric scooter pilot program is expected by early 2021.
Baltimore Municipal Bike Share Ends; Private Bike Share Pilot Begins
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Bad Break for Scooter Rental Company in its Hometown
Years before there was e-scooter-share, there was electric (Vespa-like) scooter-share in San Francisco by start-up Scoot. Now that they are ready to launch electric bikeshare, the city won't let them, unlike Barcelona, Spain where it began service.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.
‘Mega-Landlords’ Threaten Housing Stability for Renters
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More Funds to Transform the Puente Hills Landfill into a Regional Park
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Denver Freeway Widening Plans on Hold
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s plan to widen the Interstate 25 freeway through Denver is one of a few plans to widen urban freeways under consideration in the United States.
Public Perceptions of Sprawl and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Urban density has a bad reputation.
Clarion Associates
Urban Planning Partners
Sandy City
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
