If public transit suffers long-term consequences from the coronavirus, as many experts predict, telecommuting could be a key tool in reducing pollution and congestion, but it creates problems of its own and its effects aren't entirely clear.

A post by the Transportation Research Board gathers recent and historic studies on the effects of telecommuting for indications about how the post-COVID world might change if the shift toward working from home stick around for months, years, or indefinitely into the future. But telecommuting creates problems of its own, and research conducted to date, admittedly conducted in conditions short of the kind of wholesale changes inspired by the pandemic, hasn't shown telecommuting to be the kind of slam dunk many might hope it to be.
For instance, research from the 1990s made the case for telecommuting as "an ideal way to mitigate traffic congestion and improve air quality." But another study, completed 20 years later, "showed that regular teleworkers used time and money saved to either take trips they couldn’t during a normal work commute or move farther from the offices they were visiting less frequently."
Then there are the funding problems created when transportation revenues are tied to gas taxes. "Before much of the white-collar workforce began teleworking in mid-to-late March, the Congressional Budget Office had already estimated the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund would be exhausted in 2021 and the Highway Account by 2022. States have been thinking outside the pump in terms of how their transportation revenue can be maintained."
FULL STORY: Telework transportation research in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

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.

Idaho Data: Unexpected Vehicle Repairs Exacerbate Housing Instability, Eviction Risk
Over 21 percent of clients struggle with transportation barriers.

A Year-Long Investigation On Permanent Supportive Housing
The New York Times reveals what’s working and what’s not in the cornerstone of Housing First.
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