Land rights and high costs are proving to be major hurdles in Kansas City's bid to build a 27-mile light rail system.
"An assistant city attorney told the council that the light-rail route voters approved in November raised significant legal questions, including how the route could be built through existing park land."
"Another lawyer said it will take at least eight to 10 years for Kansas City to secure federal financing for a light-rail line."
"In November, Kansas City voters approved a measure to extend the city's current three-eighths-cent transportation sales tax for 25 years to build a $1 billion, 27-mile light-rail line. The initiative called for about 50 percent of the line's cost to be paid with federal money."
FULL STORY: KC Council considers obstacles to light-rail plan

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

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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