Downtown businesses are helping fund an innovative program to get more downtown workers out of their cars and onto public transit.

"About 43,000 Downtown [Columbus] workers will be eligible for bus passes, free to them, starting next summer under a unique program drawing national interest," reports Kimball Perry.
The free transit passes are intended to provide a viable alternative to solo commutes—which downtown stakeholders hope will ease the area's expensive reliance on parking. Local businesses are helping to fund the free transit pass program, which backs up an argument for the economic viability of transit subsidies. According to Perry, "the 550 owners of Downtown property in a Special Improvement District agreed to pay 3 cents per square foot of space per year to help fund the program. That will raise about half of the $5 million needed to pay for the COTA passes for eligible Downtown workers. The rest will come from grants and other fundraising."
The board of directors of Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District voted to approve the program last week, after first making news for considering the program back in March 2017.
FULL STORY: Program approved to give free bus passes to Downtown workers

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86
Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

DOT Memo Directs Transportation Funding to Communities With Higher Marriage and Birth Rates, Compliance with Immigration Officials and No Mask Mandates
The memo ties immigration enforcement to federal funding and prohibits mask or vaccine mandates.

Housing Measure Wins in Seattle Special Election
Voters approved a new tax that could bring in $50 million per year for social housing.

Resilient Communities, Healthy Ecosystems: A Balanced Approach to Wildfires
Effective wildfire mitigation in California requires a holistic approach that goes beyond large-scale vegetation removal, emphasizing home hardening, defensible space, strategic planning, and reducing human-caused ignitions.

St. Petersburg’s Bike Infrastructure Efforts Pay Off
New bike infrastructure is encouraging more people to take to the streets on two wheels, but advocates say safety challenges remain.
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.
City of Bakersfield
Standridge Inc.
City of Brookings
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service