Downtown Dallas could have an embarrassment of riches on its hands, if it figures out how to make plans for a Downtown streetcar coordinate well with a new Downtown light rail route.
"When the Dallas City Council's transportation committee gets a glimpse of potential routes for a streetcar extension today, that may not be the only downtown transit project in play," according to an article by Brandon Formby.
In addition to the Dallas Streetcar, the city and Dallas Area Rapid Transit are also working on a downtown light rail line called D2.
Where the city and DART decide to put one line will obviously affect the location of the other. The council and DART last year chose their preferred route for D2. But after DART said that path may not be feasible, the council last week began coalescing around an idea that residents and landowners have been pushing for months: Make D2 a subway.
As if the politics of simultaneously planning two transit routes of distinct technology and infrastructure weren't challenging enough, there's another potential entanglement point: the financing. Both projects "would partially rely on a federal source of funding called a core capacity grant," and "they could conceivably be competing against each other," explains Formby.
FULL STORY: Two downtown Dallas transit projects getting intertwined geographically and financially
Dallas Council Begrudgingly Keeps Downtown Streetcar Alive
Council members complain that the Oak Cliff Streetcar is a "vanity project" that drains money from other potential transit improvements.
Dallas Nixes Subway Plan
A proposed subway line was removed from DART’s 20-year plan, with the agency citing low ridership projections and local opposition.
Dallas Bus System Overhaul Rolling Out in January. Will it Succeed?
The Dallas City Council recently approved a long-awaited and much-delayed bus system redesign for DART. Riders should require fewer transfers and shorter wait times starting in January 2022.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
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.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
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