A complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation alleges that Maryland Gov. Hogan's decision to cancel the long-planned Red Line rail project violates the Civil Rights Act.
The decision by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to cancel the Red Line rail project has had continuing blowback, according to an article by Emily Badger, and the situation exemplifies a common inequity in transportation investment around the country.
A coalition of civil rights groups filed a complaint earlier this week with the federal Department of Transportation that the decision violated the Civil Rights Act. "By nixing the transit project — particularly in favor of rural and suburban highway funding — the state will disproportionately harm African Americans," explains Badger of the complaint.
The article includes quotes and background from Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, which led the complaint, to explain how the complaint connects the issues of transportation and civil rights. From the complaint itself: "the cancellation of the Red Line Project, rather than being a cost-saving measure, was simply a naked transfer of resources from the project corridor’s primarily African-American population to other rural and suburban parts of the state…"
Ifill also suggests that transportation contributed directly to the unrest that followed the death of Freddie Gray while in the custody of Baltimore police. "As much attention as we give to the trial of the officers who were charged in the killing of Freddie Gray...we should give to a decision that implicates 10,000 construction jobs and billions of infrastructure investment in Baltimore that were eliminated in a single day, by a single decision, made by a single person."
FULL STORY: The next civil rights issue of our time

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems
SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.

How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope
Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.

Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects
The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.
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
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service