The Baltimore City Board of Elections and a local circuit court judge have blocked the efforts of transit advocates to seek support from voters for a regional transportation authority.
“A Baltimore Circuit Court judge has ruled in favor of the Baltimore City Board of Elections, upholding the board’s decision to block a question about transit from appearing on city ballots this fall,” reports Emily Opilo in a paywalled article published by the Baltimore Sun.
“The [Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition], formed to advocate for the completion of the Red Line light rail that was canceled by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, had hoped to ask voters whether they wanted to establish a fund promoting ‘enabling legislation’ to create a Baltimore Regional Transportation Authority,” according to Opilo. [Previous Planetizen coverage of the Baltimore Red Line project.]
“The group submitted 14,145 signatures in favor of the proposed ballot question — more than the 10,000 required by law — but more than 4,400 were deemed invalid by city election officials,” reports Opilo.
The Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition argued that some of the signatures deemed invalid reflected errors on the part of the Baltimore City Board of Elections. The judge in the case decided that the coalition didn’t do enough to support its argument that signatures were incorrectly rejected.
Baltimore’s Red Line Rail Project Back on the Table Thanks to New Governor
One of the most infamously anti-transit decisions of the past decade—Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s decision to cancel the Baltimore Red Line system expansion—could be reversed by the incoming governor.
Maryland to Restart Planning for East-West Transit Line Through Baltimore
A plan for the Red Line, an east-west light rail line notoriously canceled by former-Governor Larry Hogan in 2015, is back on the table in Baltimore.
Maryland Transportation Planning Decisions Under Civil Rights Scrutiny
The infamous cancellation of the Red Line, a decision made by Gov. Larry Hogan shortly after he took office, is a high-profile example of how the state's transportation decisions are short-changing people of color.
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.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie