Among the arguments rail advocates use is that rail transit costs less to operate than buses. The savings, they suggest, will soon pay for the cost of rail construction.
"As pointed out on page 353 of The Vanishing Automobile, a major flaw in this reasoning is that light-rail operating costs are not comparable to bus operating costs. New light-rail lines "skim the cream" of transit riders because they tend to be built in the busiest transit corridors. Since costs per passenger mile depend heavily on ridership, the cost of any transit running in a busy corridor is likely to be less than the cost of a bus roaming through low-density suburbs.
...If transit agencies truly want to save money on operating costs, the data point to a much better way than spending hundreds of millions or billions on rail transit. Several transit agencies that have light rail also contract out some of their bus services to private operators."
FULL STORY: Does Light Rail Pay for Itself?

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