Neighborhood opposition kills an infrastructure pipe dream in New York City.
"The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has shelved a plan to build a ventilation plant underneath a stretch of Park Avenue in Murray Hill after neighbors rallied against it," reports Noah Hurowitz.
The project would have constructed a ventilation plant underneath Park Avenue near East 37th or East 38th Street, and could still be added to a future MTA five-year capital plan. Hurowitz also reported on the proposal in June 2016.
The ventilation plant would serve a section of track between stations at 33rd Street and Grand Central Terminal, needed in the event of a fire or smoke emergency. That section of track is currently without such a ventilation system. Opposition, led by the group Save Murray Hill, argued that the MTA was looking for a way to spend spare capital investment cash on a non-pressing issue. The need for a ventilation plant was identified in 1994, but planning on the project only began last year.
FULL STORY: MTA Shelves Park Ave. Ventilation Plant After Community Uproar, Pol Says
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association