Automated monorails were the hottest invention since the wheel back in the 1960s, and the Feds wanted to see them in every city. So what happened?
Eric Jaffe says that HUD actually released a report in 1964, under the direction of President Lyndon B. Johnson, to promote alternative forms of transportation. After failing to catch on, Congress recommended making funds available to cities to encourage the construction of more monorails. Jaffe says there was interest, and a handful of cities got theirs built, but the Reagan Administration brought the grants to an end:
"Still, the legacy of the downtown people mover is not entirely a failed one, civil engineers William Sproule and William Leder argued in a recent talk. In some sense, it cleared the way for the surge in circulator buses and streetcars taking place today."
FULL STORY: Whatever Happened to the Downtown People Mover?
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Seattle’s new professional hockey team is drawing legions of enthusiastic fans. Around a quarter of them are taking public transit, such as the city’s often-maligned monorail, to games.
Jacksonville To Replace Monorail With Autonomous Shuttles
The city’s aging monorail system will be repurposed as part of an expanded 10-mile shuttle system.
Miami Rapid Transit Project Moves Forward
The county completed the draft environmental impact study for a monorail and people mover planned as part of its rapid transit system.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
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Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.
Downtown Portland Ready for Maine's Tallest Building
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The EV “Charging Divide” Plaguing Rural America
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Judge Halts Brooklyn Bike Lane Removal
Lawyers must prove the city was not acting “arbitrarily, capriciously, and illegally” in ordering the hasty removal.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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