City officials say the project complies with all applicable laws and should go forward as planned.
New York City transit supporters and local politicians rallied last Friday to protest the Trump administration’s efforts to stop the construction of the 34th Street busway, report Dave Colon and Gersh Kuntzman in Streetsblog NYC.
On October 16, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sent the state and city a letter claiming the city failed to notify the appropriate federal authorities about the bus lane plan. “The Trump administration letter cites unspecified concerns about the movement of trucks and emergency vehicles along the corridor, though trucks are not banned on the busway, and emergency vehicles are not inhibited.”
DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said he would pause the project until the legal battle settles but promised to “defend it.” Others used more forceful language, with Assembly Member Micah Lasher calling the letter “a thinly veiled action, yet again, by the Trump administration to inflict harm and vengeance on the city of New York.” NYCDOT spokesperson Vin Barone said “We are confident that the design complies with all applicable federal laws and regulations, and we will work with the federal government to advance this critical project.”
FULL STORY: ‘Outrage’: Pols — And Even DOT Boss — Protest Trump’s Block on 34th St. Busway
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago
A before-and-after of one of the bus stops with a new bench. The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association