Transportation
The plan for two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River connecting New York and New Jersey has been put on fast track approval process, according to an announcement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. [Wall Street Journal] Federal leaders suggested that the ball is now in the court of the states’ governors to come up with a funding plan for Gateway. [Politico New York]
Full train service resumed for NJ Transit on Monday, two weeks after the fatal train crash at Hoboken Terminal. [New York Times] The incident has raised questions about rail safety for the transit authority, leading New Jersey lawmakers to call for $10 million in federal investment for the implementation of positive train control. [Crain’s New York Business]
A new bill put forth by NYC Council member Ydanis Rodriguez seeks to address increased crowding on the sidewalks in Midtown Manhattan. [Next City]
A pilot program launched in Boston last month uses the popular ride hall services Uber and Lyft for the transportation of disabled passengers, sparking fear in New York’s taxi owners who benefit from the city’s Access-a-Ride program. [Crain’s New York Business]
Community Planning & Development
Mayors and urban leaders from around the world (including those from RPA) gather this week in Quito, Ecuador for the UN’s Habitat III conference on housing and sustainable urban development. [City Lab]
United Way of Long Island President Theresa Regnante spells out how increased transit-oriented development around the Long Island Rail Road’s train stations could help address the region’s affordability crisis and offer more rental opportunities for Long Islanders. [Long Island Press]
SL Green broke ground this week on East Midtown’s newest office tower, One Vanderbilt, which will be built next to Grand Central Terminal, will rise above the nearby Chrysler Building and will generate millions of dollars for investment in nearby transit infrastructure. [Wall Street Journal]
A new report by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program paints a picture of the growing “gig economy,” driven by non-employer firms like Uber and Airbnb and concentrated in the country’s largest metros. [City Lab]
Energy & Environment
FEMA and Mayor de Blasio are partnering with the NYC Panel on Climate Change to revise the city’s flood maps using new methods to better predict how and where climate change will impact the five boroughs. [Curbed NY]
More than 150 countries have reached a landmark deal in Kigali, Rwanda to reduce emissions of a powerful chemical used in refrigeration and air conditioning. [NPR]