New York and Washington D.C. are among the U.S. cities looking to revamp the payment systems for their trains and buses over the next several years. Many will ditch paper and plastic farecards in favor of credit cards and smartphones.

D.C.'s Metro system announced this week that it will begin a pilot program to test "a new electronic fare payment system at rail stations, on buses and at its parking garages," with the goal of transitioning the entire system by 2019, reports Mark Berman. Washington joins New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago in the quest to replace farecards, and even tokens, with "next-generation" fare systems.
As Will Oremus notes in Slate, the transition will allow transit systems to ditch card-vending machines and speed up the boarding process. "On the other hand," adds Oremus, "opportunistic thieves might salivate at the prospect of hordes of commuters having to wave their credit cards and smartphones around every time they want to ride a train or hop a bus."
FULL STORY: Washington, New York looking to a future without farecards

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions