The news and opinions are filling newspapers and websites faster than electric scooters are filling sidewalks.
The weekly round up of electric scooter news offers plenty to peruse and parse. In addition to the more traditional coverage of the regulatory machinations of municipalities in reaction to the newest mode on the block, this week we also see the emergence of a new form of "ambulance chasing" news coverage. As they say: "If it bleeds it leads." It will be interesting to see whether that approach to the evolving story of scooters includes victim blaming too.
Previous editions of the weekly scooter roundup are available here and here.
National Media
- Scooter use is rising in major cities. So are trips to the emergency room (The Washington Post, September 6)
- Quiz: Are these writers complaining about modern-day scooters, or 19th-century velocipedes? (The Washington Post, September 8)
- Uber Was Right (Slate, September 9)
Local News
- Dallas Man Killed In Accident [sic] On Electric Scooter (CBS DFGW, September 3)
- With city onboard, Lime deploys e-scooters in Baltimore (Technical.ly, September 4)
- Hit-and-run crash leaves Silver Lake scooter riders badly injured (The Eastsider, September 5)
- Electric scooters could soon be back in Miami — this time for good (Miami Herald, September 5)
- Norfolk impounding electric scooters as fast as they're put on the streets (The Virginian-Pilot, September 6)
- Lime electric scooters to arrive Tuesday, joining Bird on the streets of KC (The Kansas City Star, September 10)
- Columbus riders beware: Scooters don’t come with insurance policy (Columbus Dispatch, September 11)
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association