Privatization
Opinion: The Slippery Slope of Privatizing Public Works
The Biden administration is changing course on a century of policy in public works ownership and management, signaling a concerning shift toward privately owned, profit-driven utilities and other essential services.
Denton Plans to Replace Most Bus Routes With On-Demand Microtransit
Transit advocates worry that outsourcing fixed-route service will decrease service levels and raise costs for riders.
The Battle for Public Space: Business Owners vs. Homeless Residents
The role of business improvement districts in criminalizing homelessness reflects a tension between private interests and public space, Rob Waters writes.
Private Telcos More Expensive Than Municipal Broadband 85% of the Time
A Harvard study found that, in 27 communities and cities with both private and city owned internet, the municipal broadband was almost always cheaper.
D.C. Metro Considering Privatization of Operations and Maintenance on New Silver Line
A proposal to privatize operations and maintenance of stations and track on the Silver Line has taken an initial, tentative step forward.
Private Garbage Collections a Deadly Business for Employees and Pedestrians
Tired drivers working long hours in damaged trucks makes private garbage collection a dangerous business.
Next Steps in Lyft's 'Evolution': Public Partnerships, Fixed Routes, Autonomous Fleets
Lyft's Emily Castor Warren situates the company's newest initiatives within the "rapid pace of innovation" occurring in transportation.
Trump's Infrastructure Plan a Boon for Private Interests
President Trump's proposed infrastructure plans intends to shift ownership of much of America's infrastructure into private hands. Rebecca Burns argues that this approach will benefit the country's richest at the expense of the rest of the country.
Infrastructure Week Begins With Air Traffic Control Modernization
Infrastructure Week 2017 kicked-off Monday with the announcement that the president plans to privatize air traffic control. It won't be the first attempt at modernizing the antiquated system. Additional events planned Wednesday through Friday.
City Streets Signed Over to a Developer in Downtown Atlanta
In a move that will enable the $350 million redevelopment of Underground Atlanta, the city has agreed to hand over ownership and control of public streets to the developer.
Private Rail Contractors Facing Fines for Service Failures
Private companies involved in Boston and Denver rail travel are facing increasingly large fines for service failures, and some are going unpaid.
Chicago to Install New Parking Meters to Lessen Impact of Bad Contract
The city of Chicago will install 752 new parking meters in 2017—but still fall far from the Shoupian ideal.
Cities After President Trump
Urbanists consider what the administration of President-elect, Donald Trump, will mean for cities.
Op-Ed: Privatizing Parking at D.C. Metro Would Be a 50-Year Mistake
The executive director of a research and policy center on privatization and responsible contracting says a proposal to privative parking operations at the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority would bring a half century of regret.
MBTA Considering Privatization of Drivers and Maintenance Workers
A decision to privatize the employment of drivers and maintenance workers, especially for the system's buses, could lead to a wave of layoffs.
Philadelphia's Franklin Square Installs a Fence and a Symbol of Privatization
Philadelphia's Franklin Square will require admission in the evening this spring, for the duration on a Chinese lantern festival. A critic faults the "philosophy of privatism" for robbing the park of its democratic qualities.
Air Rights Deal to Renovate Boston's Back Bay Station Includes Skyscraper
Boston is in the process of effectively privatizing the management of its largest transit hubs. The latest example: a deal that would renovate MBTA’s Back Bay Station in exchange for air rights for a skyscraper above the station.
The Lingering Consequences of Chicago's Parking Meter Privatization
An article examines "Exhibit A for bad public contracting"—a 75-year lease between Chicago a Morgan Stanley-led private consortium for 36,000 parking meters—as a cautionary tale about the lingering impacts of bad deals.
Why Privatizing Transit Won’t Get Toronto Anywhere
Full or partial privatization of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) would likely result in diminished service and a less expansive transit network.
A Chicago Suburb Seeks to Disown its Roads, Will Others Follow?
Facing a shortfall of more than $1 million to maintain its roads, the Chicago suburb of Long Grove is looking to privatize nearly half of them by asking residents to pick up the tab. Residents are unhappy about the plan, but see few alternatives.
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.
Berkeley County
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA)
Ada County Highway District
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland
