The ORCA Opportunity program will provide free bus passes to some of the city’s low-income residents.

Sarah Anne Lloyd reports that Seattle is expanding its ORCA Opportunity program, which currently provides free bus passes to high school students and some Seattle Colleges students. The city will start offering the passes to some Seattle Housing Authority residents, and distribution could start early this summer.
The city plans to give priority to high-density SHA sites near transit hubs or to sites along routes with investments from Seattle Transit Benefits District funds. The STBD funds come from a sales-tax increase and vehicle license fee that voters approved in 2014 to expand transit services in the Seattle region.
Lloyd reports that 14,500 students have participated in the program so far, and the SHA expansion will add another 1,500 participants. "The expansion will start as a 12-month pilot program, then be re-evaluated for an extension by SHA, King County Metro, and the Seattle Department of Transportation."
FULL STORY: Seattle will provide free transit for some low-income residents

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions