Federal Stimulus
Flush with federal stimulus cash and angling for more, planners in Atlanta will explore alignment for a potential rail transit connection to the Beltline.
Urbanize Atlanta
Blog post
After a week of speculation and rumor, the Biden administration today revealed its promised infrastructure plan.
The funding in the draft stimulus funding package making its way through Congress falls short of the total requested by the American Public Transportation Association, but would go a long way to helping transit agencies weather the pandemic.
TransitCenter
Democrats in Congress are moving forward with a massive COVID stimulus package—with or without Republicans.
CNBC
A new economic stimulus package that appears headed for approval as of this writing will give $15 billion to public transit, far less than transit advocates had hoped, but far better than nothing.
Streetsblog USA
A new report on the finances of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) makes a desperate plea for assistance from the federal government.
lohud
High-speed rail advocates in the Pacific Northwest are pushing for a high-speed link between Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland to be part of future economic stimulus spending in the United States.
The Urbanist
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act earlier this month. Transit advocates say the bill reinforces the car-centric status quo.
Streetsblog USA
U.S. transit agencies are hemorrhaging money as the majority of riders avoid trains and buses. People still need public transit, and public transit needs help to weather the storm.
Smart Cities Dive
Instead of doubling down on the unsustainable planning and building practices, the current crisis offers a chance to hit reset, according to this article.
Frontier Group
The Urban Institute simulated a model to predict the cost of a universal housing assistance program to support those who face homelessness.
Urban Institute
Congressional leaders are discussing the shape and size of the next federal stimulus bill. The following critique argues that the next bill should do more to expand testing, contact tracing, and quarantine capacity at the state level.
The New Republic
The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and the National Apartment Association (NAA) on the law's impact on multifamily housing.
The Planning Report
As the U.S. House of representatives approved the passive stimulus package approved by the U.S. Senate earlier in the week, more details emerged about the parts of the bill that will be relevant to planners during the coming weeks and months.
NPR
Feature
Cities, states, and the federal government are trying to prevent a repeat of 2008 while still facing the challenges of inequality and poverty that grew out of the previous recession.
The economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has already hit public transit revenues hard, and the concerns of millions of renters around the country about how they'll afford to pay the rent are weighing heavily on the country.
The New York Times
Remember President Obama's 2009 economic stimulus program? Add another completed project to the program's successes: the restoration of the multi-modal 1874 iconic Eads Bridge connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis, Ill. over the Mississippi River.
AASHTO Journal
President Obama used a tour of Jaxport to promote infrastructure investment, e.g. accommodating larger ships and intermodal cargo transfer to trains to stimulate the economy and increase employment, and maybe convert some Republicans to the cause.
The New York Times - Politics
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently warned incoming Republican governors in Wisconsin and Ohio that dedicated stimulus funds must be spent on high-speed rail or returned, CNN reports.
CNN
Officials in Atlanta are pushing forward with plans to build a streetcar, despite being left out of a recent federal stimulus-led package of transportation grants.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
