Josh Stephens illuminates the debate on subway expansion plans in Los Angeles and the forces on all sides.
"After over a decade of dormancy and a litany of mishaps, civic leaders are trying to get Los Angeles' famously chaotic public transportation scheme in order, and a focal point of these efforts is the extension of the subway to the Westside, a project whose prospects have, over the past 35 years, wavered between inevitable and unthinkable. While the city's signature industry has created entire worlds year after year, its civic leaders let dreams fall by the wayside.
'An advocacy infrastructure ... has been nonexistent except for recent times,' said Denny Zane, former Santa Monica mayor and co-founder of the Subway to the Sea Coalition, a grassroots group that is trying to fill that void. 'It's time to build the subway.'
In the face of historic opposition and mistrust of the county transit agency, forces such as Zane's are marshalling to build what might be the missing link in the region's transit system. Political will is building, public frustration is growing, and a new study has put the dreams of armchair transit planners to paper. But, like any blockbuster, this particular fantasy still needs time, deliberation, and money-in Titanic amounts."
FULL STORY: An Underground Movement Forms in L.A.
Los Angeles Subway Work Halted Amid Serious Safety Lapses
A string of unaddressed worker injuries prompted the county transit agency to suspend work on a subway line that will connect downtown Los Angeles to the westside.
Downtown Subway Project Delayed in Los Angeles
The Regional Connector project will have to wait until 2022.
Op-Ed: Los Angeles Needs a Vermont Avenue Subway
As the second busiest bus corridor in the area, Vermont Avenue is currently a candidate for bus rapid transit. But would rail be a better choice?
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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