Pedestrians will have room to roam around until well after the New Year in New York City.

"New holiday traffic restrictions in streets around the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree went into effect on Friday," report Catherina Gioino and Anna Sanders.
"The city eliminated two lanes of car traffic on Fifth Ave. between 48th and 52nd Streets, forcing vehicles to drive in the center two lanes. And 49th and 50th Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues were also closed to car traffic," according to Gioino and Sanders.
The reporters find mostly positive reviews for the arrangement. One skeptic quoted in the article expresses concerns about parking and impacts on local businesses, but most of the soundbites in the article express unequivocal enthusiasm for the traffic restrictions.
The holiday street closures further reduce the number of automobile lanes in the city, a few months after cars were restricted from 14th Street in Manhattan.
FULL STORY: NYC holiday street closures around Rockefeller Christmas tree take effect

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.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
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Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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