Streetsblog USA's annual showcase of the worst examples of car-oriented land use this year focused on places that had overcome the worst excesses of 20th century planning.

Angie Schmitt shares the results of the Parking Madness 2019 competition on Streetsblog USA, and Providence has won the "Golden Crater" award "for its decades-long effort to reclaim its public spaces from cars."
Astute observers will recall that Schmitt announced the Parking Madness 2019 with a crucial twist: instead of shaming cities with parking craters like in previous years, this year's Parking Madness would celebrate the best examples of former parking lots that have been transformed into places far more attractive, human, and healthy.
"Many cities made a strong claim to the crown, but Providence’s Capitol Hill area had the best story," according to Schmitt. "Back in the mid part of the last century, the Rhode Island Statehouse area was surround by an absolute moat of grey, lifeless asphalt." Now the area includes 'over one million square feet of retail space, 2 to 2.5 million square feet of office space, 1,000 hotel rooms, 500 residential units, 10,000 permanent jobs,' according to an expert cited in the article.
FULL STORY: Your Parking Madness 2019 Champion: Providence

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
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MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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