"The Decision" part II? Time will tell if LeBron James is the right brand to assuage the fear of turning over the car keys to a robot car.

Andrew J. Hawkins shares news of a new ad campaign from Intel "aimed at building trust in autonomous vehicles."
"The campaign, which features a trepidatious James getting in the backseat of a driverless sedan, according to Hawkins. "It’s the first time self-driving cars have been marketed to the general public, and it’s airing before this technology is even commercially available."
As Hawkins notes, it's important that Intel is paying for the ad campaign rather than the companies such as Waymo (which is reportedly launching a commercial self-driving car service this fall), Uber, or a traditional car company like Ford. Of the many companies looking to make parts and products for self-driving cars, "Intel thinks it is best positioned to overcome consumer apprehension toward driverless cars, and what better way to do that than to make LeBron James the smiling, bearded face of its public effort," writes Hawkins.
FULL STORY: Can LeBron James make us less afraid of self-driving cars?

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.
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