BART is a financial and operational mess, and its new inspector general has a slew of major issues to tackle.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit agency is facing a long list of fiscal and operational issues, and the first BART inspector general, Harriet Richardson, has her work cut out for her, says Daniel Borenstein. "BART officials never wanted an inspector general auditing and investigating their work. But the new position was forced on them as part of a legislative deal under which BART receives $1.1 billion from Bay Area bridge toll increases."
The agency is facing a fiscal crisis that is partly the result of decreasing ridership and labor agreements that Borenstein argues favored BART labor unions rather than taxpayers and riders. He says the agency was also not forthcoming about a $3.5 billion bond measure for capital replacement. "A bend-the-rules and win-at-any-cost mentality turned publicly funded staff members into political operatives."
Borenstein hopes that Richardson can guide the agency down the path of fiscal and operational responsibility without interference from the BART board. "The strength of her backbone and the willingness of BART directors to listen to her will be key to ensuring that clean, safe trains run on time at a price riders and taxpayers can afford."
FULL STORY: Borenstein: On cusp of San Jose service, will BART let new auditor it didn’t want do her job?
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.