Demographic shifts: Life spans have gone up hugely in the last century ($), but population growth globally has slowed down quickly and could be a problem going forward ($). China’s child policy is being changed to allow families to have up to three children as the country heads into a demographics crisis ($).
Absolutely not: The engineer who negligently crashed an Amtrak Cascades wants back at the controls ($).
GA transit gambit: Democrats are pumping up the notion of more transit for Georgia.
Rethinking commuter rail: America’s approach to commuter rail is antiquated and shifts in travel habits may mean the model needs to change decisively.
Shoupining: Donald Shoup opines about parking and planning on Planetizen.
Highway removal: A highway dead-end in Baltimore may finally be removed.
Complex intersection: Washington, D.C. has an interesting traffic solution to a very complicated set of intersections.
Cat town: As pet adoption surges in the Seattle, cats are growing in popularity ($).
Misguided principles: With a reboot of the Columbia River Crossing replacement and expansion project, the federal government have okayed the notion that climate change and equity need not be centered in the plan.
German housing: Sightline highlights how Germany does housing better.
Rent relief: $45 billion in rent relief was approved by Congress, but what’s happening with it?
Classist governance: In Burien, some councilmembers are filibustering necessary emergency housing.
Accessible stations: Senator Tammy Duckworth did an interview with Streetsblog insisting on accessible transit stations.
Carless suburb: Fast Company highlights a close-in Hamburg suburban that is doing fine without cars.
Cruising speed: Cruise ship restrictions are easing with voyages from Seattle returning this summer.
At odds: Congress wants to pass a basic surface transportation reauthorization bill that is directly at odds with President Joe Biden’s climate goals.
Capitol Hill projects: An eight-story Passive House project is planned for 11th Ave E in Capitol Hill and a seven-story mixed-use project is planned for the old Oola Distillery site.
Stop hate: What is it like to be Asian American in public spaces?
People before cars: Street plans may upend Amazon’s vision for its new digs at National Landing in Virginia.
Main Street crossroads: Bellevue has taken on the call for more pedestrian-oriented spaces, but is that at risk?
“Overdevelopment”: In Ireland, a state planning appeals body has rejected a 40-story tower in Dublin’s Docklands.
On the up: As the pandemic begins to subside, flight options at Paine Field may be on the up ($).
Baseball gondola: Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles is getting an aerial gondola.
Rental housing: A task force in Washington, D.C. has ideas on how to improve the rental housing market for the city.
Street sinks: When will the new street sinks come to Capitol Hill?
Digital brick and mortar: Google is planning to open its first brick and mortar retail store this summer.
In limbo: With the Graham Street infill light rail station in limbo, locals are frustrated.
Tragedy: Sadly, transit workers in San José were massacred in a rail yard last week.
RDU rail link: In the Raleigh-Durham area, a new commuter rail line is being planned with an airport connection.
Approved: After months of procedural delays, a big apartment project in Tacoma’s Proctor District has been approved ($).
Park lid dead: A plan for a park lid over railway in Toronto has been dashed.
New bike lanes: How are the new E Union St bike lanes in Capitol Hill?
Federal budget: President Biden has an ambitious regular budget proposal ($).
Bike shortage: The bike shortage continues as supply remains constrained and it may persist for a long time.
Affordable Atlanta: A huge land buy for affordable housing near the Atlanta BeltLine has been completed.
End quid pro quo: Transportation advocates say it’s time to ditch the old way of coming up with Washington transportation budgets.
Affordable housing dashboard: King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci talks about the new regional affordable housing dashboard.
Shanghai surbubs: What is Shanghai’s plan for suburbia that doesn’t emulate the wrongs of Los Angeles?
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.