This week, the NHTSA issued the federal government's first directive on the benefits and hurdles related to the introduction of self-driving cars. The guidelines should make it easier for companies to develop autonomous technologies.
"With self-driving cars all but certain to hit the road in the coming years, federal safety regulators on Thursday announced new guidelines for companies and states eager -- or reluctant -- to make them a reality," reports David Undercoffler. "Currently only California, Nevada and Florida have enacted laws allowing self-driving cars on public roads."
"[The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] said other states considering joining this trio, and companies interested in testing this emerging technology in a public space, had asked the agency to recommend how to safely allow these vehicles on the streets."
"As additional states consider similar legislation, our recommendations provide lawmakers with the tools they need to encourage the safe development and implementation of automated vehicle technology," NHTSA Chief David Strickland said in a statement.
FULL STORY: Feds issue guidelines for self-driving cars like Google's

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access
A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills
Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units
Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.
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