London Mayor Boris Johnson has tabled strict air-pollution controls until 2020 despite evidence of increasing pollution levels in the city's center.

Christine L. Corton writes in The New York Times about the potential return of London's infamous pea-soup fog—a combination of natural fog and "sulfur-laden smoke" from industrial chimneys and home coal fires. The culprit this time appears to come from car exhaust.
…after several decades of cleaner air, we seem to be sliding back. Motor vehicles are now the main cause of air pollution, and campaigners are trying to create some urgency around the debate to reduce car emissions. But people are as wedded to cars now as they were tied to their open fires a century or more ago.
The last recorded case of London’s "great yellow fog" was in 1962, following the adoption of a clean Air Act in 1956 that required residents to switch from coal to cleaner sources of energy, such gas or electricity. The Clean Air Act arose after a 1952 incident, which Corton describes as a "great killer fog" that lasted five days and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 4,000 people.
FULL STORY: The Return of London’s Fog

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
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The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.

DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
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