A political ban on building a subway through some of L.A.'s most dense neighborhoods is being lifted as traffic slows transportaiton to a crawl. But now, finding funding for a Red line expansion may prove nearly impossible.
"Rep. Henry Waxman's recent decision to lift his ban on federal funds for subway tunneling in the Fairfax district was great news for anybody who has ever been stuck in gridlock on the Westside. But Wilshire Boulevard commuters might want to leave the corks in their champagne bottles for now; it's still going to be a long fight to get a subway extension down L.A.'s densest corridor.
...L.A. transit planners have long dreamed of a Wilshire subway from downtown to the ocean. That's not going to happen anytime soon. Villaraigosa will be lucky if he can get a line from Western to Fairfax Avenue approved during his tenure as mayor â€" that three-mile project alone would cost more than $1 billion. His successor can worry about getting the line from Fairfax to Westwood."
FULL STORY: Some green for the Red Line
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
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