The ubiquitous sight of a performer or musician asking for money in a New York City subway is conspicuously absent from Washington D.C. Metro stations, because busking is verboten in the nation's capital. A July lawsuit aims to change that policy.
"Alex Young, sued Metro last month, arguing that he should be able to play music on Metro property while asking for donations from passers-by," reports Perry Stein.
Unlike in New York City, the "Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority strictly prohibits people from engaging in commercial activities on Metro property, unless the parties have struck an agreement with Metro beforehand."
Now the question will be answered by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which will have to decide "whether busking is considered free speech, commercial activity, or simply glorified panhandling, which is banned on Metro property."
FULL STORY: Should Busking Be Allowed in Metro? A Musician Suing WMATA Thinks So.
How Street Performances Transform Public Spaces
A busking advocate blogs about the benefits of street performances in public spaces and the need to revisit street performance licenses and requirements.
Parking Fee Pilot Project Extended for D.C. Metro
A parking experiment will continue at transit stations in the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) system.
D.C. Metro's Recent Controversial Decision: Painting Over Brutalism
Controversy erupted last week in Washington, D.C., after D.C. Metro decided to paint Union Station's vaulted ceilings—a famous icon of the District, it's regional transit system, and the architectural style of Brutalism.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Savannah Reduces Speed Limits on Almost 100 City Streets
The historic Georgia city is lowering speed limits in an effort to reduce road fatalities.
A Park Reborn: Resilience and Renewal in Fire-Stricken Altadena
Rebuilt in just two months after the devastating Eaton Fire, Loma Alta Park now stands as a symbol of community resilience and renewal, even as some residents hope recovery efforts will continue to support housing stability and long-term equity.
Spain Moves to Ban 66,000 Airbnbs
The national government is requiring the short-term rental operator to remove thousands of illegal listings from its site as part of an effort to stem a growing housing crisis.
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.
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions