When former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro began his new job as secretary of HUD, the all-but-built Modern Streetcar project fell prey to gathering Tea Party forces.
David Martin Davies updates the quick and surprising twists in the fallout from former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro's new position as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
On July 28, former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro raised his right hand and was sworn in as the new secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That same day, back in the Alamo City, one of Castro’s signature programs, the 'Modern Streetcar' project, was going off the rails, undone by the very leaders who’d once backed it.
The 5.9-mile project would have totaled $280 million, with $32 million coming from the city. The first phase of the system would have included two lines around Downtown as well as connections to the Westside Multimodal Center and north along Broadway to the "thriving" Pearl Brewery development.
The article reads like an autopsy of the slowly gathering political forces, some of them leveraging the streetcar as means for other ends, that finally put an end to the streetcar project.
FULL STORY: A Desire Named Streetcar
San Antonio Streetcar Plans at Risk
San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor is calling for a "pause" on the city's proposed streetcar. Meanwhile a charter amendment from project opponents could be headed to the ballot and a county judge has called for the project to be put on hold.
Better Transit Service, More Transit Riders
San Antonio's investment in more frequent service on several popular routes has resulted in many more riders.
San Antonio Remains Affordable as City Grows
The city’s active efforts to keep housing costs down through housing reforms and coordinated efforts among city agencies and developers have kept it one of the most affordable in the nation despite its rapid population growth.
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