The freedom to move remains unevenly distributed between people of different backgrounds.

In an op-ed in Streetsblog USA, Ruth Rosas connects the immigration debate to mobility, arguing that the freedom to move extends to more than just physical infrastructure; “It’s also about whether people can exist in public without fear.”
For many immigrants and people of color, moving about in American cities and towns is a fraught proposition.
Many immigrants rely on buses, trains, walking, and biking because they cannot obtain a driver’s license. But relying on these modes of transportation can increase vulnerability in these public spaces. Walking and biking aren’t always safer, and jaywalking laws, biking citations, and over-policing in immigrant and communities of color mean that simply existing in public space can be a liability.
According to Rosas, “Mobility justice demands that we confront the surveillance, policing, and xenophobia embedded in our transportation systems. It demands we stop asking people to prove their worth before they can move without fear. It means acknowledging our streets, sidewalks, and bus stops are not neutral but political.” Until everyone can use them safely and equitably, Rosas notes, transportation remains political.
FULL STORY: Freedom to Move: Why Immigration Belongs in the Mobility Conversation

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.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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Planning for Universal Design
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Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont