The new Paris-Strasbourg TGV line is the continent's fastest high-speed rail link yet, and will connect France with Germany and Eastern Europe.
"France on Thursday night christened a new high-speed rail line between Paris and the eastern part of the country that will also reduce travel times between Germany and the French capital. About 100 kilometers of the line are still under construction, but that didn't stop the French from throwing a dazzling spectacle with the lengthiest display of fireworks the world has yet seen.
The celebrations follow five years of construction on the line linking Paris with Strasbourg -- the fastest train stretch ever to be built in the country. The line is expected to dramatically decrease travel times between Germany and France.
French President Jacques Chirac described the €4 billion ($5.3 billion) project as a "major industrial success." The new tracks will enable the country's fabled high-speed train, the TGV, to travel at normal operating speeds of 320 kilometers (198 miles) per hour -- 20 kilometers per hour faster than on other lines.
The line will be opened for passenger traffic in June and will be used by both French TGV trains and German ICE high-speed trains running between Frankfurt and Paris, reducing travel times by two hours to four. But the real speed gains will be between the southern German city of Stuttgart, home to DaimlerChrysler and Porsche, where passengers will be able to reach Paris in a record time of 3 hours and 40 minutes."
FULL STORY: France Christens High-Speed Rail Link

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.

San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population
In a commentary published in The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan describes a shelter and law enforcement approach to ending targeted homeless encampments within Northern California's largest city.

Atlanta Changes Beltline Rail Plan
City officials say they are committed to building rail connections, but are nixing a prior plan to extend the streetcar network.

Are Black Mayors Being Pushed Out of Office?
The mayors of New York, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh all stand to lose their seats in the coming weeks. They also all happen to be Black.
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.
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments
City of Edmonds
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research