Riders with disabilities say that vertical and horizontal gaps of as much as 7 inches between trains and platforms prevent many riders from safely entering and exiting trains.

A lawsuit filed by three disabled New York City transit riders calls on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to close the gaps between platforms and trains that prevent many people using wheelchairs from safely accessing trains.
As Alissa Walker writes in Curbed, “The complaint argues that the MTA and the New York Transit Authority ‘have not formulated any kind of plan to address the gaps that prevent people with mobility and visual disabilities from using the subway,’ despite spending more than $100 billion on capital improvements to the system since 1982.”
While the agency has committed to installing elevators at more of its stations thanks to other recent lawsuits, repairing the vertical and horizontal gaps on platforms would make train travel safer for not just wheelchair users, but also people with visual impairments.
According to Walker, “Many transit agencies have what’s called universal-level boarding, where all train floors are completely flush with all platforms.” But “In New York, due to variables in rolling stock and station design, the MTA would have to standardize all its train platforms and train cars line by line in order to achieve this.”
The plaintiffs in the suit against MTA say that stair-free access isn’t enough to ensure universal accessibility. Other agencies are implementing temporary or permanent solutions such as retractable bridge plates, portable ramps, and universal platform doors.
FULL STORY: 7-Inch Platform Gaps Are Keeping Disabled Riders Off the Subways

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

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.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland