Big businesses get huge tax breaks by buying subway cars and leasing them back.
"Altria Group Inc. and Wachovia Corp. bought 570 New York subway cars. Wells Fargo & Co. owns more than 700 Chicago buses. And half of Atlanta's commuter rail tracks belong to Wachovia and American International Group Inc.The companies aren't running public transportation. They are just collecting $3.3 billion in federal tax breaks through leasing arrangements that Congress wants to curtail. Since 2001, 16 U.S. companies have bought transportation assets from cities through 35 leasing agreements, a review by Bloomberg News shows. The arrangements allow the buyers to save on taxes as the assets depreciate, even though they don't operate the equipment."
Thanks to Richard Layman
FULL STORY: About Wachovia's Subway Cars: Banks aren't in the transit business, but in the tax-break business.

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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.
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