The conservative bastion of Orange County will soon begin on construction on the mode of transit favored by the Obama Administration: the "modern streetcar."
"Construction of a roughly $300 million trolley system through the heart of Orange County is slated to get underway this year as officials move forward with long-running plans for the OC Streetcar in Santa Ana and Garden Grove," reports Sean Emery.
"The streetcars would run with the flow of street traffic from the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, through Santa’s Ana’s burgeoning downtown district, past the seat of county power at the civic center, along the former path of the old Pacific Electric streetcars and finally connect to a new transit hub at Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue in Garden Grove," adds Emery.
The OC streetcar has succeeded where other rail projects have failed in Orange County—the CenterLine project connecting John Waye Airport to Downtown Santa Ana failed over a decade ago after years of planning. A streetcar proposal through Anaheim, connecting to Disneyland, also failed at the end of 2016.
Planetizen correspondent reported details on the OC Streetcar planning process in April 2016.
FULL STORY: Construction expected to begin in 2018 on streetcar through heart of Orange County

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

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

Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.

Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.

Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service