The company’s autonomous taxis will soon be available in most parts of the metro area including Tempe, Mesa, and a new airport pick-up location.

The Phoenix metropolitan area is now home to the largest contiguous autonomous car service area in the world, reports Corina Vanek for Arizona Republic, after the company doubled its coverage area last week. The company also plans to grow its Phoenix-area fleet with an unspecified number of vehicles.
The expansion connects a 40-square-mile coverage area and a 50-square-mile coverage area, creating a 180-square-mile service zone. The area now includes most of Tempe and parts of Old Town Scottsdale and Mesa. “So far, the vehicles only provide autonomous rides on freeways to Waymo employees with a specialist present, a company spokesperson said. Employees are providing feedback about freeway travel before the company rolls out freeway trips to the public.”
Waymo and other autonomous car operators and manufacturers such as Cruise and Tesla are facing backlash and federal investigations for deploying their vehicles on public streets before the technology is fully vetted and for misleading marketing. Phoenix residents have observed Waymo cars idling on neighborhood streets or stalled in traffic, while San Francisco’s Waymo fleet has had multiple run-ins with emergency personnel and law enforcement, with city officials calling the situation ‘mayhem’ in a letter to the state. Meanwhile, driverless cars raise ethical questions about AV testing and responsibility in crashes and other incidents.
FULL STORY: Metro Phoenix now has world's largest self-driving car service zone after Waymo expansion

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