Plans for a statewide system have been in the works for almost a decade, but doubts remain about whether taxpayers will ever want to foot the bill.
"Even people who hate high-speed rail believe it would transform California, much like steam-powered railroads did in the 1860s and freeways did a century later."
However, a ballot measure to provide $10 billion dollars to jump start construction on the estimated $37 billion system has been delayed twice, due to the state's already high borrowing habits and other perceived priorities.
"Worries about taking on more debt or stifling more popular bond measures would doubtless strengthen the hand of high-speed rail opponents, who have an arsenal of other reasons why voters should reject the enterprise. Opponents point to what they call pie-in-the-sky predictions about how popular, how cheap and how beneficial a California bullet train would turn out to be."
Read the full story: MORE DEBT? NOT SO FAST: High-speed rail on slow track to reality
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.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Mass. votes against statewide minimum lot size for single-family homes
Over 2 million residents voted on Question 7; it was decided by just over 30,000 votes.
Maryland’s $15 billion bridge project gains key approval
The Maryland Transit Authority said the project will create over 60,000 jobs and add $23 billion to the local economy.
‘No clear next steps’ for Chicago's permanent festival grounds
Eleventh Ward Ald. Nicole Lee has suggested Soldier Field as a possible location for the permanent event space.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello