A $6 million project in Asheville, North Carolina will include the purchase of new hybrid and diesel buses and an update of the city’s transit center.

The Asheville City Council has approved a $6 million bus improvement project. "The purchase of seven new buses, the overhaul of the Asheville Redefines Transit Station and the amending of a management contract come after City Council named transit a top priority in early 2019," Joel Burgess reports for the Asheville Citizen Times.
This project represents a scaled-down version of what the city had laid out in a master plan, which called for a ten million dollar upgrade to bus services. The difference, in part, is a decision to buy hybrid and diesel buses rather than electric as the plan had initially called for. The council elected to move away from electric buses when it was decided that the city would be better served by shorter 30-foot buses than by the 50-foot buses made by Proterra, Asheville's previous supplier (thought 30-foot electric buses are available from other suppliers).
FULL STORY: Asheville moving ahead with $6M in bus system improvements

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

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.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie