Portland has them. So does Charlotte. But in the nation's capital, streetcar overhead wires are under fire from historic preservationists.
You're probably familiar with Washington D.C.'s ban on tall buildings. Did you know there's an overhead wire ban too? It's now colliding with efforts to return streetcars to the district.
"We happen to think that's what keeps the beautiful character of the monumental core looking as it does," Gene Keller, an urban planner with the Capital Planning Commission, tells the Washington Post.
But top D.C. officials say that aesthetic regulation is getting in the way of the new generation of mass transit. They're ready to repeal the overhead wire ban.
Read the full story: D.C. streetcar project may get hung up on overhead wires
Orange County Streetcar Project Ignoring Equity Issues, Say Activists
Critics say transportation officials have failed to address the potential equity and displacement effects of the Southern California streetcar project.
Vancouver Studying the Possibility of a Streetcar
Vancouver, often cited as a model of transportation planning success, is very carefully considering the idea of a streetcar.
The Details of Sacramento's Proposed Downtown Streetcar Line
The cities of West Sacramento and Sacramento have high hopes for a streetcar line planned for some of the most beautiful and urban neighborhoods in the region. The Trump Administration could still change the course of the project, however.
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.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority