Since its founding a decade ago, Uber has reshaped the world through a trajectory of highs and lows.
Mike Issac’s new book Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber looks at the rise and fall of the startup whose immense influence has affected cities, mobility, labor, and business.
"As a private start-up, Uber represented pure possibility — at its peak, a $69 billion wrecking ball threatening entities as vast as the taxi industry, mass transit networks and automotive giants, all at the same time," writes Issac.
He traces the series of events and circumstances that have led to Uber’s more recent downfall, starting with founder Travis Kalanick’s propensity to flout the rules and promote a company culture that alienated employees and drivers. Uber has also grappled with new business ventures that did not take off, safety concerns that it was slow to address, and financial losses since the company went public.
"Two years since Mr. Kalanick’s ouster, and three months since a humdrum public offering, the company is in many ways a shadow of the juggernaut whose global presence once felt just shy of inevitable," says Issac.
Read the full story: How Uber Got Lost
Minnesota Lawmakers Reach Ride Share Compromise
A law awaiting the governor’s signature establishes wage rates for drivers. Ride share companies say if the law passes, they plan to continue service in the state.
Study: Ride-Sharing Increases Urban Congestion
New research shows that ride sharing contributes to increased congestion and decreased transit ridership.
The Post-Pandemic Future of Rideshare
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority