The Chicago City Council passed an ordinance to regulate companies like Uber and Lyft, but taxi cab companies and their political supporters believe the policy set by the Emanuel Administration doesn't go far enough.
Hal Dardick and Jon Hilkevitch report that the Chicago City Council preempted forthcoming state legislation in voting to regulate transportation network companies like Lyft, Uber, and Sidecar.
According to the report, "[aldermen] voted 34-10 in favor of the new regulations after an effort failed to delay the measure until the General Assembly passes its own set of rideshare regulations."
The ordinance ordinance approved by the City Council will go into effect in 90 days, at which point "companies whose driver workforce averages more than 20 hours per person each week will face stronger oversight, including a requirement that all drivers obtain chauffeur's licenses." However, "the ordinance leaves it to the ride-share companies like Uber X, Lyft and SideCar to police drivers in terms of how many work hours are logged."
Taxicab companies believe the ordinance does not go far enough in regulating the transportation network companies. The Emanuel Administration, however, argued against stronger regulation, saying that "the vast majority of ride-share drivers -- up to 75 percent -- work only part time." According to city officials, "there are likely 100 to 150 full-time ride-share drivers," according to Dardick and Hilkevitch.
FULL STORY: Chicago rideshare regulations approved

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie