The infamous cancellation of the Red Line, a decision made by Gov. Larry Hogan shortly after he took office, is a high-profile example of how the state's transportation decisions are short-changing people of color.

"On the last day of the Obama presidency, U.S. DOT announced it will investigate whether Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s unilateral decision to cancel the Baltimore Red Line light rail project violates federal civil rights law," reports Angie Schmitt.
Local chapters of the NAACP and the ACLU at the end of 2015 lodged a complaint over the decision to cancel the Red Line. "When the complaint was filed last December, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund said Hogan’s decision was part of a 'devastating history of transportation decisions that have disfavored African-American residents of Baltimore City,'" explains Schmitt to give context to the actions by the Obama Administration. The article references a similar case from Wisconsin, when the U.S. DOT forced former Governor Tommy Thompson to set aside funding for the Milwaukee Streetcar.
Patrick Sisson reports for Curbed that the U.S. DOT investigation will reach far beyond the Red Line example—to the entire state of Maryland's transportation planning decisions.
FULL STORY: Maryland Robbed Transit to Pay for Highways, So U.S. DOT Launched a Civil Rights Probe

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie