Rose lanes: Portland has adopted its “rose lanes” program to expand transit priority across the city, but will they be safe for people biking?
Meter parking: Everett finally resorts to pricing on-street parking.
Food deserts: Zoning restrictions on the location of dollar stores are gaining popularity.
Lost and found: If you lose something in Japan, there is a very good chance you’ll get it back due to a strong social lost-and-found system.
AVs raise concerns: Autonomous vehicles present a lot of concern over safety.
Not so cheap: Increasingly unaffordable housing in Texas is making its housing market look a lot more like California’s.
HS2 green-lighted: In a big move last week, the British parliament approved a plan to expand high-speed rail north of London as part of the HS2 program.
Transit wins: The Washington Supreme Court has found that the car tab fee schedule that Sound Transit must use is constitutional ($).
Housing debates: In Nebraska, the effort to expand other housing types in single-family zones is not terribly controversial.
Reduce by pricing: Mayors in Hawaii want the state to study decongestion pricing to reduce air pollution and reduce traffic.
Morally corrupt: Donald Trump’s administration is trying to sue King County to allow King County International Airport ($) to be used for their deportation airlifts of immigrants.
Roads funding: A new levy lid lift could be headed to the ballot in King County to fund road maintenance mostly in rural areas.
A useful tool: Vancouver’s vacancy tax is working, raising revenue for housing and lowering the rate of empty homes.
VA fare debates: Virginia is considering reduced and free transit fares across the state.
Parking economy: Strong Towns argues that parking is something that market can’t solve.
I-976 saga: A King County judge has tried to dispose most of the constitutional arguments on I-976 ($), but the initiative remains on hold as it works its way through the court.
The housing lottery: The King County Housing Authority has reopened its lottery for Section 8 subsidized housing vouchers ($).
Map of the Week: Light pollution is actually making stargazing problematic in many rural areas of America.
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.