Cities simply can't afford the lawsuits that follow sledding injuries. Time will tell how strictly such laws are enforced.
Svati Kirsten Narula follows on recent reports of cities banning sledding on public land due to lawsuits. According to the article, "[following] sledding accidents, one Nebraska family won a $2-million payout from the city of Omaha and another family secured a $2.75-million settlement from Sioux City, Iowa. Both cases involved individuals who survived their accidents but were paralyzed for life."
Narula's article collects earlier stories by the Associated Press and by Zoë Schlanger for Newsweek. Schlanger reports that officials in Dubuque, Iowa, which is considering such a ban, do not expect to make any arrests if the law is passed.
Read the full story: US cities are banning sledding because it could be way too expensive not to
Residents Protest for the Right to Bear Sleds on Capitol Hill Snow Day
The sledding ban on Capitol Hill was too much for Washington, D.C. residents to bear. They brought wintertime fun to Congress on yesterday's snow day.
DOT Will Use AI to Write “Good Enough” Regulations: “We’re Flooding the Zone”
The agency wants to speed up the rulemaking process to as little as 30 days.
Land Use: Chasing Utopia, 2025?
History has taught us the risks of undervaluing the power of planning decisions. Overvaluing them might be just as dangerous.
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.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy
The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello