Bloomberg reports that the dream vehicle of commuters everywhere—a flying car—might be available on the market within three years.
Josh Dean shares news of the Terrafugia Transition, a flying car that "will be capable of 70 miles (110 kilometers) per hour on the road and 100 mph in the sky…"
The Terrafugia Transition is the work of MIT graduate Carl Dietrich, who is currently "refining details on the third-generation prototype of his $279,000 vehicle before attempting certification by both the FAA, which regulates planes, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which oversees cars."
Dean notes that although the flying car is a concept that has certainly been dreamed of before, the "reason the Transition is further along than any previous flying-car concept is that, in 2004, the FAA created the so-called light sport aircraft designation for planes that weigh less than 1,320 pounds (600 kilograms) and seat no more than two people. LSA manufacturers are given an easier path to market in order to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation in a niche of the industry that has seen very little of either."
Read the full story: The Flying Car Is (Almost) For Real
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Atlanta City Council unanimously backs $3.5 billion Beltline light rail project
The resolution was drafted after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens pulled support for the Atlanta Streetcar extension last year.
SEPTA to bring nearby frequent transit to over 1 million new riders as part of decade-long plan
The agency's Accelerate plan will also bring frequent transit to twice the amount of jobs that are currently located near it.
NYC plants over 18,000 trees, the most new foliage in a decade
Many of the trees were planted in communities vulnerable to extreme heat.
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 Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello