Planetizen

Jail the Planners for Not Preventing Sandy!

Jonathan Nettler — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Jail the Planners for Not Preventing Sandy! Jonathan Nettler Mon, 11/05/2012 - 15:00 5 minutes

Planning Education: Striking a Better Balance

Jonathan Nettler — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Planning Education: Striking a Better Balance Jonathan Nettler Wed, 10/31/2012 - 16:00 18 minutes

Are Amoeba-Shaped Cities More Likely To Go Bankrupt?

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Are Amoeba-Shaped Cities More Likely To Go Bankrupt? Jonathan Nettler Mon, 10/01/2012 - 17:00 6 minutes

A Brave New World: How Apps Are Changing Planning

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 23:00:00 +0000

A Brave New World: How Apps Are Changing Planning Jonathan Nettler Tue, 09/04/2012 - 16:00 9 minutes

Seattle light rail 'shatters' national ridership records with 155,000 daily rides

Diana Ionescu — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Seattle light rail 'shatters' national ridership records with 155,000 daily rides Diana Ionescu Mon, 06/08/2026 - 09:00

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A Sound Transit train in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle's regional light rail line recorded an unprecedented 155,000 daily boardings, the highest recorded anywhere in the United States, according to an article in Streamline.

The rise in trips follows the opening of a new cross-lake rail line, the world's first to use a floating rail bridge, and represents a 25% increase in ridership. "The new figures have catapulted Seattle past historic transit powerhouses, firmly unseating established systems in Los Angeles, Boston, and San Diego."

The article adds, "Despite the overwhelming success of the new routes, transit officials face significant operational hurdles. The integration of the north-south 1 Line with the new east-west 2 Line has created highly complex track-sharing scenarios through the dense downtown Seattle transit tunnel. Maintaining precise scheduling tolerances is absolutely critical to preventing system-wide cascading delays."

Geography

Washington

Category

Transportation

Tags

Publication

Streamline

Publication Date

Sat, 06/06/2026 - 12:00

Publication Links

Seattle Light Rail Ridership Surges to Break National Transit Records

1 minute

A San Francisco bus that serves 14,000 students daily is getting some upgrades

Diana Ionescu — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000

A San Francisco bus that serves 14,000 students daily is getting some upgrades Diana Ionescu Mon, 06/08/2026 - 08:00

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A Muni #29 bus.

A group of high school students have helped spur changes in bus service in San Francisco, reports Elize Manoukian for KQED.

The Lowell High School Transit Club, along with other transit riders, have been lobbying the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for changes to the #29 Muni bus, which serves over 14,000 students daily.

According to Manoukian, "the line has long struggled with overcrowding, delays and reliability problems, particularly during the morning and afternoon school rushes. Students often watch multiple buses pass before they can board, while buses themselves become trapped in traffic and fall behind schedule from frequent stops."

SFMTA is attempting to address the problems through the 29-Sunset Improvement Project, which includes bus stop consolidation, upgraded shelters and lighting, wider sidewalks, traffic calming and other infrastructure changes aimed at reducing delays and overcrowding on buses. "As San Francisco’s longest daytime bus route, the 29-Sunset is particularly vulnerable to delays because problems in one neighborhood can ripple throughout the line." Changes made in Phase One reduced round trip travel times by as such as 15 minutes, according to the agency.

Geography

California

Category

Transportation

Tags

Publication

KQED

Publication Date

Sat, 06/06/2026 - 12:00

Publication Links

In San Francisco, Students Become Transit Advocates to Fix ‘the City’s School B…

1 minute

Colorado oil and gas land lease on public land could imperil nation's largest elk herd

Diana Ionescu — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Colorado oil and gas land lease on public land could imperil nation's largest elk herd Diana Ionescu Mon, 06/08/2026 - 07:00

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Elk in Colorado.

The Bureau of Land Management approved a lease sale of 156,000 acres of public land in Colorado to oil and gas interests, reports Jennifer Oldham in Capital and Main.

Environmental advocates are sounding the alarm, noting that roughly two-thirds of the area in question is adjacent to Dinosaur National Monument, a certified International Dark Sky Place, and are home to the nation's largest elk herd.

According to Oldham, "A 2,360-line spreadsheet compiled by Denver-based nonprofit Rocky Mountain Wild enumerates 17 rare plants and endangered species whose habitat could be imperiled by fossil fuel exploration and extraction." The lease would be the largest such transaction in the state's history and supports President Trump's plan to open more public lands to fossil fuel extraction. "The June event is one of four large lease sales in Colorado since Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed a bill in 2025 that included provisions to encourage drilling on the nation’s public lands."

Geography

Colorado

Category

Environment

Land Use

Tags

Publication

Capital & Main

Publication Date

Sat, 06/06/2026 - 12:00

Publication Links

Federal agency to open tens of thousands of acres of Colorado wilderness to oil…

1 minute

Short-term rental licenses grew by 46% near Obama Center as affordable homes disappear

Diana Ionescu — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Short-term rental licenses grew by 46% near Obama Center as affordable homes disappear Diana Ionescu Mon, 06/08/2026 - 06:00

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The Obama Presidential Center in Chciago, Illinois.

An analysis of short-term rental licenses in the Chicago ward that includes the new Obama Presidential Center shows that new permits have increased sharply in the area, prompting fears of displacement and rent spikes for long-time residents.

"Comparing licenses expiring in 2019, the first full year of available data, with licenses expiring this year, WBEZ found the city, overall, has seen a 38% decrease in shared housing licenses. But the 20th Ward has seen a 46% increase during the same span," explain Esther Yoon-Ji Kang and Cam Rodriguez in the Chicago Sun-Times.

"It would be a shame if the monument to the first Black president, in the heart of this historic Black community, displaces Black residents. I don’t think that that is President Obama’s intention at all, but it is what the market is bearing," said Alderman Desmon Yancy, who last year sponsored an ordinance that aims to protect residents from displacement.

Geography

Illinois

Category

Government / Politics

History / Preservation

Housing

Tags

Publication

Chicago Sun-Times

Publication Date

Fri, 06/05/2026 - 12:00

Publication Links

As Airbnbs explode around the Obama Center, housing advocates say affordable un…

1 minute

'Arrested mobility' and the fight for Black movement

Diana Ionescu — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

'Arrested mobility' and the fight for Black movement Diana Ionescu Mon, 06/08/2026 - 05:00 10 minutes

Study: Airborne tire pollution is harmful to human health

Diana Ionescu — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Study: Airborne tire pollution is harmful to human health Diana Ionescu Mon, 06/08/2026 - 05:00

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Tires shed particles of rubber that can blend with other chemicals to create new pollutants.

A new study shows that tiny particles of a rubber additive cast off by car tires combine with ozone pollution to pose a health risk to humans and animals.

According to an article in Yale Environment 360, "To understand the potential health risks from tire pollution, researchers exposed human immune cells to a mixture of tire-derived pollutants as well as 6PPD-quinone on its own. The mixture caused rapid cell death, among other harms, according to the research, published in the journal Environment International."

The findings indicate that the risk from airborne tire pollutants may be higher than scientists believed. 6PPD-quinone has been previously implicated in the deaths of spawning salmon in the Pacific Northwest.

According to the study's lead author, another notable finding — that 6PPD-quinone is not particularly harmful to human cells on its own — suggests that "focusing on a single compound may substantially underestimate the real health risks associated with tire-derived air pollution."

Geography

United States

Category

Environment

Transportation