The final piece of track has been laid for the forthcoming streetcar on Cincinnati's Second Street. The controversial project has so far been a breeze to build.
"Crews with Messer-Prus-Delta, the consortium of contractors building Cincinnati’s streetcar line, welded the final piece of rail into Second Street on Friday, all but completing the first phase of the project on time and within the construction budget set by Mayor Mark Mallory and the Cincinnati City Council in 2013," reports Chris Wetterich.
The article also includes a review of some of the political debate surrounding the streetcar project, especially the opposition by current Mayor John Cranley. Wetterich also notes the success of Believe in Cincinnati, a grassroots organization that helped saved the project in 2014. Supporters of the streetcar are now pressing for the next phase of the project, what they're calling phase 1b, to move forward.
FULL STORY: Streetcar track completed on time and on budget -- now what about the next phase?

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.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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