Community Planning and Design
Have U.S. cities reached “peak millennial?” “Over the past decade, many American cities have been transformed by young professionals of the millennial generation, with downtowns turning into bustling neighborhoods full of new apartments and pricey coffee bars. But soon, cities may start running out of millennials.” [New York Times]
“High rents and shifts in consumer behavior have contributed to record retail real estate availability rates in parts of Manhattan, as well as the disappearance of neighborhood treasures.” [Crain’s New York]
“Last week, the New Jersey Supreme Court told communities that have long resisted the affordable housing obligations that they cannot escape their responsibilities through legal sleight of hand — and will be held accountable for meeting housing needs that accumulated while they were failing to act.” [New York Times]
Transportation
“Senate Democrats on Tuesday will propose spending $1 trillion on transportation and other infrastructure projects over 10 years in an attempt to engage President Donald Trump on an issue where they hope to find common ground. Details of the plan provided to he Associated Press include $200 billion for a “vital infrastructure fund.” An example of the types of projects that could be eligible for financing from the fund is the Gateway Program to repair and replace rail lines and tunnels between New York and New Jersey.” [PBS News Hour]
“Mayor Bill de Blasio is planning to bolster his Vision Zero program with an additional $400 million stretched out over six years… The stated goal of Vision Zero is to eliminate all traffic fatalities by 2024.”[WNYC]
“New York City has a new rail station, and no, it’s not serving the Second Avenue subway. This past Saturday, the Staten Island Railway debuted a brand new station. The Arthur Kill station replaced the existing Nassau and Atlantic stations along the line in Tottenville, Staten Island’s southern most neighborhood.” [Curbed NY]
Energy and Environment
“One of the most powerful utility regulators in the country could soon have to make decisions unanimously, with only two members.Chair Audrey Zibelman and commissioner Patricia Acampora are both planning to leave the Public Service Commission in the coming months. In doing so, they will leave the five-person board with two commissioners to make decisions on everything from major utility rate increases to policies on the independent energy market, if Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Senate do not act swiftly to replace them.” [Politico New York]
“The Pinelands Commission is being dragged into court again.In an ongoing legal dispute, the state agency is being challenged in its bid to act on a controversial new pipeline project that would allow natural gas to be shipped to the former B.L. England power plant in upper Cape May County. The Pinelands Preservation Alliance, which has been fighting the proposal, is asking a state appeals court to block the commission from acting on whether the project complies with state policy and administrative rules for reviewing such applications.” [NJ Spotlight]
Photo: Nancy Borowick