Albuquerque continues to commit to free transportation
Albuquerque eliminated the fare for the public bus system almost two years ago. In the following city work, Erin Lord outlines some of the impact the free fare program has had on city residents. According to Road, “nearly 90% of Albuquerque bus riders have household incomes of less than $35,000 a year, and have no […]
Why Jeff Speck is a “Zoning Abolitionist”
This summer Planetizen’s sibling, Planetizen Courses, began rolling out an epic, 7-course series on walkability, led by the one and only Jeff Speck. A condensation of his years of experience as an urban planner, Harvard lecturer, walkability advocate and new urbanist, the course is Jeff’s attempt to download everything he knows to an entire generation […]
Can planners adopt the role of “place”?
Sherpa’s philosophy, by Chuck Wolf and Google Gemini Pro Today, a city-related dialogue, Wolf focuses on everyday reality rather than the grand vision of a beautiful city. Beyond the critique of architecture and urban design, cities and towns face an ever-evolving dialogue on affordability crises, complex pushes for zoning revisions, and constantly evolving dialogues about […]
California is moving forward with its 30×30 conservation target
California is steadily making progress towards its ambitious 30×30 conservation goals, an initiative to protect 30% of the state’s land and coastal waters by 2030. As reported by Lila Saidman, the state currently protects 26.1% of the land and 21.9% of the coastal waters, representing significant talent since Miles’ recent launch in two new miles. […]
Shade Art: Face Climate and Equality Through Creativity
The new art exhibition at Descanso Gardens, entitled “Roots of Cool: Tree and Shade Celebrations in a Warming World,” explores the challenges of Los Angeles’ climate and urban equity through the lens of shady access and environmental justice. Co-curated by climate researcher Edith de Guzman and artist Jolie de Guzman, the exhibition brings together works […]
The Growing Challenge of American Orphan Oil Wells
Nationwide, hundreds of thousands of isolated oil and gas wells (abandoned and often undocumented) pose a threat to public health, the environment and climate. These wells were not properly blocked, even decades or even a century ago, and are now leaking methane and other contaminants into the atmosphere, soil and water. As Camila Domonoske reported, […]
Praise analog cities: promoting the future in times of crisis
This essay is the third in a series of works by urban designer Mikael Colville Andersen, who was reported by Kyiv, called urbanism in the age of war. Read more in this series here. I think it’s safe to say that things haven’t progressed much in the past few years as much as we might […]
Ohio forces data centers to pay upfront for electricity
Ohio Energy Regulators have determined that data centers will be subject to the new special rate class and will face penalties if they fail to meet their commitments. According to an article by Dan Gearino of Inside Climate News, the action is the result of a proposal by Columbus-based utility American Electric Power (AEP). As […]
Atlanta, Dallas Area, launches the Robotaxi RideShare fleet
Lyft and Uber will begin using Robotaxis in their ride-share fleets in Atlanta and Arlington, Texas, respectively. The self-driving cars will be operated by Mobility in May, and the deployment will begin with the “stamp bio-operator” inside the car. It currently operates its fleets in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Minnesota and Martinez, California, serving primarily seniors […]
French Solutions for busy tunnels: Make them cars free
As Alameda, California is celebrating its water shuttle service milestone and considering expanding its services, Roger Dick points to the underground tunnel in Lyon, France, offering another solution to shut down people across cars and difficult terrain. In Lyon, two sides of the city are connected by two tunnels. One is for vehicles built in […]