With ridership on the only commercially operating maglev line far below expectations, the much admired technology might be in danger of extinction.
"Shanghai spent $1.25 billion building the world's fastest train, running from the city to Pudong International Airport. Cindy Huang would rather catch a bus.
The fare - 50 yuan, or $6.60 - is too high for most residents of Shanghai, said Huang, a human resources officer. And the magnetic-levitation, or maglev, line terminates in Pudong's suburbs, 12 kilometers, or 7.5 miles, from downtown, meaning most travelers must get other transportation to reach their final destinations.
"It's much more expensive and time consuming to take it," said Huang, who has made 11 trips on the 431 kilometer-per-hour train, mostly escorting visitors to the city, a financial hub of China. "It's not my choice, if I travel on my own."
The Shanghai authorities have put on hold plans to spend $5.3 billion to extend the 30-kilometer line - the world's only commercial maglev train.
The project has been plagued by low passengers numbers - fewer than a quarter of what were expected - protests by residents concerned about radiation and construction costs twice as high as those for other high speed trains. Cancellation could force Siemens and ThyssenKrupp, the developers, to scrap the 73-year-old technology and write off at least $2 billion in costs, said Gerd Aberle, a professor of transportation economics at Giessen University in Germany.
"It's the last chance to convince the rest of the world that the maglev is an interesting system," he said. "If it's not realized in China, that may be the end.""
FULL STORY: Shanghai's fast train catches on only slowly

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service