By looking closely at the key factors that helped London's congestion charge succeed, other cities can decipher whether a similar scheme would work in their jurisdictions.
"One of the most notable legacies of the just defeated mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, is London's traffic congestion charge. The first such scheme to be implemented by a major European city, it was introduced in 2003 and led to a 30 per cent drop in congestion levels practically overnight. Not surprisingly, it quickly gained broad popular support.
Canada's major cities should take six lessons from both the surprising political success of this scheme at the outset and the degree to which this success has faded over time.
One, the original congestion charge introduced in February 2003 penalized only a small proportion of people travelling into London, since more than 90 per cent already relied on public transit. The charge targeted congestion arising from commuters travelling into and out of the downtown core. Cars were charged £5 per day for travelling into a small central London zone that covered little more than the financial and theatre districts. Residents of the zone got a 90 per cent discount and taxis were exempt."
FULL STORY: Lessons for big cities from London's congestion charge

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.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

US Senate Reverses California EV Mandate
The state planned to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, a goal some carmakers deemed impossible to meet.

Trump Cuts Decimate Mapping Agency
The National Geodetic Survey maintains and updates critical spatial reference systems used extensively in both the public and private sectors.

Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law
Cities will be allowed to lower speed limits to 10 miles per hour and prioritize pedestrians on certain streets.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions