The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Local Officials Hoping for Minnesota DOT Funding Help With Congested Intersection
Commuters in the Twin Cities region are hoping for relief at the notoriously congested and unsafe interchange between Interstate 494 and I-35W.

Study: High-Visibility Clothing No Solution for Bike Safety
A recent study from researchers at the University of Bologna adds to a growing body of evidence regarding their effects of laws that require bicyclists to wear high-visibility clothing.

Replica, a New Tool from Sidewalk Labs, Takes Trip Data to the Next Level
Detailed reports on mode share, in real time and over time, are available with Replica.

No Two Property Taxes Are Alike
The annual "50-State Property Tax Comparison Study" is available examines the imbalances across jurisdictions, and even within jurisdictions, when it comes to property taxes.
USDOT Awards $96 Million to BRT Projects in Washington, Missouri and Commuter Rail in California
On April 9, FTA awarded $43 million for a new, 12-mile bus rapid transit line in Everett; $30 million to extend BRT 10 miles in Kansas City and $22.5 million to extend a North Bay commuter rail line two miles to a ferry terminal on San Francisco Bay.

Private Equity Startup Offers Small Scale Public Development Investments
Startup, Cooperative Capital, allows investors to buy into community investment projects and vote on which projects to fund.
Dockless Bikeshare Service Launches in St. Louis, With City's Blessing
The city of St. Louis has launched a permitting system for dockless bikeshare companies LimeBike and Ofo to operate.

Scooter Mania in San Francisco
Entitled tech bros! Disrupted sidewalks! Mass impound sweeps! Social media convulsions!

Bay Area Transit Agencies to Consider 20 Percent Fare Reduction for Low-Income Riders
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission could implement a 20 percent plan to offer fare relief for low-income riders.

Denver to Use Marijuana Taxes to Underwrite Affordable Housing Bonds
Mayor Michael Hancock has proposed a funding scheme to ramp up affordable housing production in the city of Denver.

New York City Council Wants More Funding to Go After Airbnb Scofflaws
New York rules have rules about short-term rentals are supposed to work. That doesn't mean everyone is following them.

Pushing Back on 'Suburban Triumphalism'
Interested observers have been predicting a crest of the American "back to the city" movement for years now—the idea that as Millennials come of age they will lose interest in urban lifestyles and seek the comfort of the suburbs.

The Amazon Opportunity to Revitalize Urban Communities
If corporations continue to be able to take public subsidy as the price of locating in an area, maybe the debate isn't whether to offer subsidies but simply how and for what to offer them. Here’s one incentive that might actually benefit communities.

After Legal Setback, Pittsburgh to Appeal 'Source of Income' Decision
Pittsburgh will continue its pursuit of a "source of income" law to protect against housing discrimination.

Ford Readying a Fleet of Self-Driving Cars for 2021
Key features of Ford's plans for a fleet of shared autonomous vehicles potentially telegraph how the first wave of at-scale adoption will take place.

Mayor Emanuel Wants to Open More of the Chicago River to the Public
Plans to double the length of publicly accessible riverfront will be included in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's State of the City address tonight.

Regional Planning for Growth on Display in the Pacific Northwest
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) released a new "Regional Centers Framework."

Vote to Take Money from Train Station to Pay for a New Road Causes a Stir
An expanded roadway outside the Union City BART station would mean more drivers and likely more congestion. City and county officials still argue those changes are necessary for the area around the station to function.

Growth and Change Take Hold in Boise
Rapid growth is now the trend in a region that faced some of the worst effects of the Great Recession.

Detroit CEOs Want a Regional Transit Plan
The idea has failed before, most recently in 2016, but the attempt at wooing Amazon has the idea of a regional approach to public transit back on the table in Detroit.
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