Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa proposes to waive Metro fees for a week to increase ridership. L.A. Times editorial argues that the idea won't work.
"But free transit days haven't been free of problems or controversy. The most recent sparing of the air came during a blistering heat wave, which filled the buses and trains not only with commuters but with homeless people attracted by the air conditioning. Transit police also report a big uptick in crime and rider complaints on free days, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Trains have been vandalized, passengers on badly overcrowded cars intimidated, while rowdy teens fight and toss food containers everywhere. Not exactly the kind of atmosphere to convince commuters that taking the train is an attractive alternative to driving."
Read the full story: No Free Metro Rides
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority