Nextgen: New York City has a new generation of trash and recycling bins.
No surprises here: Washington’s Republican Party has direct links to domestic terrorism.
Housing Toronto: Toronto has a plan for 40,000 affordable homes.
TOD Boston: In Boston, there’s capacity for over 250,000 homes near existing transit.
Cooperative model: The Bay Area has a new cooperative model for affordable housing to fight speculation.
Questionable zones: In Houston, there is massive rent increases taking place in Opportunity Zones.
Equitable investment: Philadelphia looks to get needed investment in neighborhoods without the pitfalls of gentrification.
14th Street: New York City’s new bus zone is having profound results and the city’s mayor is finally getting onboard with it.
Elitist regulation: Bangkok planners continue to try to stomp out street food vendors ($) in order to “cleanup the city”.
Better road laws: New laws to protect non-car users of roads in Washington come into effect in January.
Hyperloop distractions: A Chicago-to-Cleveland hyperloop could cost $30 billion according to a new report, but there are ample reasons to be skeptical of it.
Height limits in SAN: Building height limits might be eliminated near light rail stations in San Diego.
VA all in: Virginia wants to make major Amtrak and commuter rail expansions in the state and inked a big deal with CSX, a private mainline railroad company.
Eastern WA rail: More details on a passenger rail line from Auburn to Spokane come to light.
Mob-run governance: The Trump administration appears poised to criminalize homelessness.
Housing VA: With a Democratic majority in Virginia, party leaders are trying to overhaul housing laws to allow more density.
ACA saga: The Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate has been ruled unconstitutional in a federal appeals court, which could unravel the whole healthcare insurance program ($).
Repurposing bandwidth: The Federal Communications Commission has opted to limit wifi bandwidths dedicated to transportation and open it up to other uses.
Next stop: Take a preview of the new Roosevelt light rail station ($).
Kitsilano highrises: In Vancouver, the Squamish First Nation has given approval for an 11-tower, 6,000-unit development on their historic Kitsilano lands.
Maglev planning paused: Federal review of the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. maglev high-speed rail project has temporarily been paused ($).
Take note WSDOT: Oregon’s transportation commission has delayed a vote on I-5 expansion in Portland after the governor stepped in and community demanded no expansion.
Noisy neighbor: Burien residents have been inundated by airport noise, which led them to sue and win ($).
Compassionate justice: The Supreme Court of the United States lets stand a lower court decision that allows people experiencing homelessness to sleep on public streets if no other shelter is available.
New aquarium: The Seattle Aquarium is planning $113 million in upgrades and expansion ($).
Fare-free MIA: Miami could become the next big American city to go fare-free for transit.
Not exempt: Washington’s state supreme court says that state legislators have to provide public records on demand ($).
TIF: Cincinnati has approved 15 new tax increment funding districts to benefit lower-income neighborhoods.
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.