Decision makers in cities can mistake their own preferences for the preferences of the city as a whole, which is doubly dangerous when elite preferences become the law of the land.

The loudest voices in shaping cities can be a non-representative sample, Jarret Walker argues in a piece for his blog Human Transit. Cities need to serve everyone. Aiming for solutions that serves a city's richest is dangerous, because, "The mistake is to forget that elites are always a minority, and that planning a city or transport network around the needs of a minority routinely yields an outcome that doesn’t work for the vast majority," Walker says.
The problem of what Walker calls “elite protectionism” is at the root of the obsession with the last-mile problem and the reason for prizing outlandish solutions over practical ones. "Large fixed-route buses are the only form of transit that can quickly scale to an entire city while still using scarce urban space with extreme efficiency. Yet many urban elites assume (subtly or overtly) that bus service doesn’t matter because it’s not useful to them personally," Walker writes.
FULL STORY: The Dangers of Elite Projection

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

Washington State’s Parking Reform Law Could Unlock ‘Countless’ Acres for New Housing
A law that limits how much parking cities can require for residential amd commercial developments could lead to a construction boom.

Wildlife Rebounds After the Eaton Fire
Following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, the return of wildlife and the regrowth of native plants are offering powerful signs of resilience and renewal.

LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.
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