An extension of one of L.A.'s light rail lines opened this past weekend. Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne offers a hopeful prediction that the extension will inspire an improvement in streetlife.
"[T]he opening on Sunday of the eight new Metropolitan Transportation Authority stations that make up the Gold Line extension -- six above ground and two below, reaching south and then east from Union Station into Little Tokyo, Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles -- is among the most significant civic milestones the city has reached in several years."
By expanding transit service to an area highly dependent on it, Hawthorne predicts an uptick in pedestrian activity and a corresponding increase in engagement with the city's development and evolving design.
FULL STORY: An extension of more than the Gold Line

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

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

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process
The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

Interactive Map Reveals America's “Shade Deserts”
Launched by UCLA and American Forests to combat heat-related deaths, the tool maps the shade infrastructure for over 360 U.S. cities.

Bicycles and Books — In Sacramento, Libraries Now Offer Both
Adult library card holders can check out e-bikes and e-trikes for up to one week.

Colorado Landfills Emit as Much Pollution as 1M Cars
Landfills are the third-largest source of methane pollution in Colorado, after agriculture and fossil fuel extraction.
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