Records show that there have been about 300 injuries related to faulty New York public housing elevators since 2001. Ironically, a problem stemming from chronic underfunding has cost the Housing Authority $3.5 million in settlements over six years.
"The Housing Authority, the city's biggest landlord, provides low-rent housing subsidized by the federal government to poor and moderate-income families. It is responsible for one of the biggest and busiest elevator fleets in New York City: 3,338 elevators in 2,618 buildings. Its elevators make 3.1 million trips a day and 1.2 billion trips a year.
Ricardo Elías Morales, the Housing Authority's interim chairman, said the reported accidents and injuries were just a fraction when considering those millions of elevator trips. 'Within that context, if you really look at the usage and then look at the trips and injuries, the likelihood of someone getting hurt is one in 34 million trips,' he said.
The agency's elevators have been criticized by tenants and elected officials after a 5-year-old Brooklyn boy, Jacob Neuman, fell 10 stories to his death while trying to escape a stalled elevator in August. Largely as a result of that accident, and widespread complaints about elevator reliability, the authority pledged last year to spend $107 million to replace about 550 elevators in the next five years."
FULL STORY: Elevator Accidents in Public Housing Are Frequent, and Costly

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.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market Leans Into Pedestrian Infrastructure
After decades of debate, the market is testing a car ban in one of its busiest areas and adding walking links to the surrounding neighborhood.

The World’s Longest Light Rail Line is in… Los Angeles?
In a city not known for its public transit, the 48.5-mile A Line is the longest of its kind on the planet.

Quantifying Social Infrastructure
New developments have clear rules for ensuring surrounding roads, water, and sewers can handle new users. Why not do the same for community amenities?
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 Moorpark
City of Tustin
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