New Haven has unveiled a first-of-its-kind card that's a combination gift certificate and prepaid credit card. By allowing users to shop, dine, and park throughout the city, officials see the card as a way to attract tourists and boost the economy.
"On his last day on the job, departing city traffic tsar Jim Travers unveiled a first: a new card for shopping, dining, and parking in the city and a new way for New Haven to 'brand' itself as a destination city," reports Thomas MacMillan. "Travers said he took the idea from mall gift cards—gift certificates that can be redeemed at any store in a mall. The Shop•Dine•Park works the same way, except the 'mall' is all of New Haven, and you can use it to pay for parking, too."
"At a Monday press conference at the Shubert Theater, Mayor Toni Harp said the card has made her think of New Haven as 'a sort of urban theme park' with the new card as a 'pre-paid all-access pass.'”
FULL STORY: New Haven’s “All-Access Pass” Debuts

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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