Though it may be too soon to say for sure, it looks like the United States has reached peak driving. So shouldn’t we cut back on new road construction?
So asks Eric Jaffe, who suggests that a fix-it-first road funding policy is most appropriate for an era in which Americans drive less. Jaffe’s argument is bolstered by evidence that some transportation authorities have already begun to adapt to the change in transportation habit. The Maryland DOT, for instance, recently acknowledged that “a return to strong annual VMT growth is unlikely.
“For sure, we need a new source of funding, with the busted gas tax nearing its demise,” writes Jaffe. “It’s also high time to challenge the idea that the amount of road funding we’ll need in the future is the same as what we’ve needed in the past.”
Read the full story: We're Driving Less, So Should We Stop Building New Roads?
State Transportation Leaders Call for Maintenance Over New Projects
Experts suggest departments facing budget gaps should prioritize basic repairs and maintenance over road-building and highway expansion projects.
Constitutional Amendment Would Shift Some Gas Tax Revenue to Transit Spending in Nevada
Democratic legislators in Nevada are considering a constitutional amendment that would allow the state to use gas tax revenues for transportation projects other than road construction, maintenance, and repair.
Too Many Roads for Financial Sustainability
Overpaving roads is like overeating ice cream, according to this Strong Towns article.
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.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority