Threatening cuts: Transit in New York City is facing a dire situation where service could be cut by 40%, but is the threat real or just political?
More than tiny houses: Erica C. Barnett knocks back Danny Westneat’s just-do-some-tiny-houses “solution” to the homelessness crisis. Barnett also has the skinny on other local homelessness news.
Deadly year: Despite the pandemic reducing travel demand, New York City has already surpassed its 2019 traffic fatality levels.
Taxing vacant homes: Vancouver’s vacant homes tax is set to rise significantly next year.
Rising cases: King County Metro has reported a spike in the prevalence of positive workers over the past month ($).
Bad land use policy: Renton is working overtime to try and evict people experiencing homelessness from transitional shelter in a hotel.
Relegalize sixplexes: Sixplexes poll well in Vancouver.
Biz boon: A new study suggests that free transit might not reduce driving, but it does increase financial support of local businesses.
Patriots resist: The Trump administration is trying to deregulate authority from the Environmental Protection Agency, but career staff are openly trying to block last-minute rulemaking changes ($).
Housing justice: Shaun Scott pens a piece on the need to put housing policy front and center to promote affordability and racial justice.
Carbon-free: Arizona has developed and agreed upon a plan to have a carbon-free electricity system by 2050.
True deserts: It looks like ridehailing isn’t supporting the mobility needs of transit deserts overall.
Art in crisis: The social and pandemic crises that America faces has brought about a revolution in public space art.
Flooded: Houstonians aren’t too excited about the Army Corps of Engineers’ latest plans ($) to roll out traditional flood prevention solutions.
Transportation and climate: Regulating and managing transportation is one of the most important bureaucracy tools that the Biden administration will have to meet the Paris Accords.
Bonding problems: The Las Vegas high-speed rail project has run into some financing problems putting the project on hold for now.
Bike boulevards wanted: New York City bike advocates want bike boulevards, but what are they?
Reinvigorating Alleghany: In Pittsburgh, an innovation district is set for over $1.9 billion in development investments.
Public data collection: Ireland is promoting citizen scientists to put cameras in their homes to collect data on passerby traffic outside to inform mobility decisions.
Skyscraping: A court will decide on the fate of a highrise skyscaper height limit in New York City.
ZE public transportation: Yonah Freemark takes a look at what providing every city with high-quality, zero-emissions public transportation would look like.
Natural gas ban: San Francisco has adopted a ban on natural gas in new buildings.
Recovery bonds: Sightline argues that Washington state should issue recovery bonds and targeted taxes to deal with budget woes and expenditures to deal with the pandemic and climate change.
Smarter transportation pricing: Planetizen takes a deep dive into smarter transportation pricing.
Tree Canopy Lab: Google has a new tool to help communities plan for tree canopy and keeping them cool.
Aerial controversy: A proposed aerial tram to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles has fueled controversy ($).
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.