Elon Musk's desire to tunnel a path to freedom from congestion refuses to die.
Many people noticed last week when Elon Musk took to Twitter to announce a momentous occasion for The Boring Company and The Hyperloop—those fanciful and futuristic ideas for super fast transportation that will forever solve the world's congestion, or at least Musk's commute through Los Angeles.
The momentous occasion: receiving "verbal govt approval" for an "underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop."
Just received verbal govt approval for The Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop. NY-DC in 29 mins.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017
Apparently some unnamed bureaucrat in some unnamed branch of some unnamed government didn't get the memo about all the reasons to be skeptical about The Boring Company. Nor did this granter-of-verbal-approvals get the memo about the reasons to be skeptical about the Hyperloop.
Aarian Marshall plays the roll of reality checker this time around, saying what many were thinking: "'verbal government approval' isn’t a thing." Marshall then explains what exactly it takes to build "a gigantic, multi-billion dollar, multi-state infrastructure projects in the United States of America." That is "Something nearing an act of God."
Laura Bill also gathered a list of reasons to be wary of Elon Musk's East Coast Hyperloop tunnel idea—five reasons, in total.
Read the full story: OH, ELON. BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE HYPERLOOP DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT
Friday Funny: The Onion Skewers Elon Musk (Again)
Elon Musk, a favorite target of satirists and urbanists alike, is once again the subject of The Onion's withering pen.
Musk's Boring Co. Drops Westside L.A. Tunnel Plans
A lawsuit by a pair of Westside L.A. neighborhood groups has killed the Boring Company's plans to drill a tunnel below Sepulveda Boulevard.
High-Speed Transit Tunnels to O'Hare Airport Could Begin Construction Within Months
The 16-mile route itself from downtown Chicago is still being negotiated. Passengers will be transported in what Elon Musk's Boring Company calls an "electric skate" at speeds up to 150 mph for the 12-minute trip.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello