Universities planning to build new sports facilities are being hit with construction costs twice as high as a decade ago.
The University of Oregon, USC in Los Angeles, and the University of Central Florida are some of the schools that are facing sticker shock from long planned arenas that are now under construction.
"A building boom in China and rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina have multiplied the cost of raw materials...[meanwhile,] college athletic departments build bigger and fancier arenas for their basketball teams. The trends have collided to produce eye-popping price increases."
"For example, HOK Sport designed a modern-looking, 8,000-seat arena at the University of Tulsa (Okla.) that cost $28 million in 1998. Less than 10 years later, the HOK-designed arena at Central Florida in Orlando that opens next year and is similar to Tulsa's will cost $80 million."
FULL STORY: Building costs drive up price tag for splashy arenas

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

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

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

New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.

Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.

Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
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