A project dogged by controversy and opposition took another blow this week, this time from a federal judge. The ongoing safety and operations issue of the Metrorail system played a role in the ruling.

The Associated Press reports that a federal judge is requiring the state of Maryland to re-do its study of anticipated ridership for the Purple Line, a 16.2-mile line planned for the Metrorail system.
In a separate article, Kristi King explains the reasing behind the decision "U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon said Maryland must do another study projecting anticipated Purple Line ridership [pdf] that takes into account the potential impact of declining Metrorail ridership and safety issues."
Construction on the Purple Line was scheduled to begin in 2016, but the court ruling, and the study process, could set that target back by six months. The court ruling follows years of local opposition, but last Planetizen heard from the project, in April 2016, there was positive news about a contract to build and operate the line.
FULL STORY: Federal judge orders further study of Purple Line, delays start

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.

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.

Detroit Says Problems With Property Tax Assessments are Fixed. Advocates Disagree.
With higher-valued properties under assessed and lower-valued properties over assessed, advocates say there's still a problem with Detroit's property tax system.
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