Looking for a way to forget about the Boring Company for a little while? You've come to the wrong place.
In a week of "big Elon Musk news," Dave Jaffer shares news of a new play written by Joe Bagel called Trapped in Elon's Mansion.
Far from launching on Broadway, the play got a staged reading in Montreal last weekend. Still, the conceit of the play is peak plan-nerd. The stage is written in iambic pentameter, and it details the controversial Twitter debate between billionaire Elon Musk and transit planning consultant Jarret Walker, when the former called the latter an idiot almost exactly a year ago.
There was an angle involving Shakespeare that you might have needed to be an English major-nerd to catch. In Q&A Joe Bagel explains in a way that really ties the whole scene together:
The fight I (and my friend, Audrina) got into with Elon was actually about Shakespeare. I was chirping him about his moronic Boring Company. So was a transportation expert, Jarrett Walker. Then, Elon called Jarrett an “idiot” and brought up dirt about Jarrett having gotten a PhD in Shakespeare Studies before he became a transit expert. Low blow! Such a jackass! So what better way to respond to Elon’s anti-Shakespeare tweet than a 17,000-word clapback in iambic pentameter?
FULL STORY: Elon Musk is going to hate this
Friday Funny: The Onion Skewers Elon Musk (Again)
Elon Musk, a favorite target of satirists and urbanists alike, is once again the subject of The Onion's withering pen.
The Twitter Spat Heard 'Round the Planning World
It's understandable if you were too busy reveling in the holidays to catch the details of a controversy between Elon Musk and Jarrett Walker. The disagreement took on a life of its own on social media.
Tesla’s Self-Driving Still Not Working in Las Vegas Tunnels
The Boring Company had previously said it was working with Tesla to use its self-driving system in its tunnels below Las Vegas to save costs on drivers, but two years later, there is no clear timeline for “full autonomy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
End Human Sacrifices to the Demanding Gods of Automobile Dependency and Sprawl
The U.S. has much higher traffic fatality rates than peer countries due to automobile dependency and sprawl. Better planning can reduce these human sacrifices.
Seattle Transit Asked to Clarify Pet Policy
A major dog park near a new light rail stop is prompting calls to update and clarify rules for bringing pets on Seattle-area transit systems.
Oregon Bill Would End Bans on Manufactured Housing
The bill would prevent new developments from prohibiting mobile homes and modular housing.
Nashville Doesn’t Renew Bike Share Contract, Citing Lost Federal Funding
The city’s bike share system, operated by BCycle, could stop operating if the city doesn’t find a new source of funding.
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.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions