Planners from Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno met this week to discuss plans for high-speed rail between their cities, since they've been left off the map of potential corridors to be funded by the stimulus package.
"'If you don't have a line on the map, you're nowhere,' said [Dennis] Smith, executive director of the Maricopa Association of Governments. 'This is about: How does the fastest-growing region get politically aligned?'"
"Under their charter, the Western regions each contributes $60,000 a year to the effort. The money will pay for studies and plans in an effort to 'promote the expansion of the high-speed rail system throughout the intermountain West regions with the connections to the Pacific Coast.'"
Read the full story: Phoenix, not on bullet-train map, wants onboard
Brightline West Moves Forward With Finalized Federal Funding
The high-speed rail line will connect Southern California and Las Vegas via a two-hour trip along Interstate 15.
Cascadia High-Speed Rail Corridor Seeking Federal Funding
The state of Washington is hoping federal infrastructure funding can pay for $198 million of the $348 million necessary to plan the Cascadia High-Speed Rail project.
Eurostar Temporarily Closing Two High-Speed Rail Routes
Eurostar is temporarily closing routes from London to Disneyland Paris and London to Amsterdam.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
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Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority