Bill Scott, director of the Flexcar car-sharing program in Portland, discusses the city's decision to end its subsidies to the company and to charge Flexcar for all the parking revenue the program denies the city.
The Portland City Council ruled unanimously to require Flexcar, a car-sharing company operating in the city, to reimburse Portland for lost parking revenue. The city claims that Flexcar is on the verge of turning a profit and that now is the time to end the subsidy it had provided. Another impetus is that the city's department of transportation desperately needs the funds.
"Flexcar will be charged for revenues the city loses by letting the private company park its vehicles for free in metered public spaces."
"The city calculates it loses up to $70,000 a year from this arrangement, by which about 30 percent of Flexcar spaces are located in metered spots. But Scott says that's a small price, given that a 2005 report by Portland's Department of Transportation concluded Flexcar receives a 'relatively modest subsidy' yet 'produces measurable public and environmental' benefits."
FULL STORY: Q & A: Bill Scott

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater
The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.

Feds Clear Homeless Encampment in Oregon Forest
The action displaced over 100 people living on national forest land near Bend, Oregon.

Is This Urbanism?
Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions