A new report by @thedotcity.bsky.social quantifies the economic toll of downtown freeways, and the economic potential of tearing them down.
The 66K acres that downtown freeways occupy could yield more than half a trillion dollars of development and over $5b annually in property taxes.
It's like trying to succeed as a vegan restaurant
03.03.2026 15:05 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
For sure — I just think it's notable they're emphasizing it here on this map, which they haven't done before.
It's an interesting reflection of the agency's focus, and I think reflective of the realities of a slower line overall.
The "express service" depicted on the map seems to me to indicate a certain number of trains would skip all the Central Valley cities.
This was probably always going to happen, but with slower track express service will be a more important part of the business plan.
This is just one service scenario; there would still be local service to the Central Valley, just a question of how much.
As for the broader strategic pivot, it's a matter of whether state laws can be changed and the project can attract private investment. It's not official until that happens.
The little Merced spur has been a big question mark for CAHSR lately. Interesting to see it still on this map.
Previously, the agency was planning a major transfer station to local trains at Merced, but now it looks like Madera will be the transfer point.
This "express service" concept (see stations outlined in red) seems to be a way to speed travel times despite slower design speeds.
It's ironic that, in order to make the business plan work, CAHSR will have to skip over the Central Valley cities it spent so much to reach.
The agency says that the original project design would now cost $231 billion.
Hence the value engineering and redesigns.
hsr.ca.gov/wp-content/u...
The new CA High-Speed Rail business plan calls for using existing tracks in the LA area, similar to the shared Caltrain tracks in NorCal.
This concept would cost $126b and could be in service by 2040, the agency projects.
No indication yet of the updated travel time estimates.
bsky.app/profile/bens...
26.02.2026 22:20 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
And yes, Mamdani brought these fake copies of the Daily News to his meeting with Trump, Politico is now reporting.
You've gotta imagine the papers did a lot of the work in the meeting...
The 12,000-home project Trump and Mamdani discussed could well be Sunnyside Yard in Queens.
It's a proposal in the works since 2014 to build 12K affordable homes on top of the Amtrak railyard, a sort of progressive answer to Hudson Yards.
edc.nyc/project/sunn...
Metro D Line subway extension to Beverly Hills will open on Friday May 8 2026. Four new miles of heavy rail subway. Three new stations on Wilshire: La Brea, Fairfax, La Cienega. Ride from Beverly Hills to DTLA in 20 minutes!
26.02.2026 18:25 — 👍 141 🔁 36 💬 5 📌 21
The midtown model of urban development — mixing homes, offices, stores and civic institutions within a walkable radius — is as old as cities themselves. The mall/ office park model was a half-century aberration.
benjaminschneider.substack.com/p/how-malls-...
Wow Lime in Seattle averaged 30,000 bike and scooter rides per day last year.
They provided 60,000 rides for the Super Bowl victory parade.
www.theurbanist.org/2026/02/19/s...
"By separating shopping & workplaces from homes & civic infrastructure, the mall/ office-park model effectively eliminated urban virtue of proximity.
Its this development model, as much as any other factor, that explains why it’s so difficult to walk anywhere in neighborhoods constructed after WWII
Ambitious mall redevelopments are moving forward in practically every major metro area in the U.S.
It’s a generational opportunity to create new urban centers where homes, shops, offices, and civic institutions can cluster in a walkable radius — much like the midtowns of the early 1900s.
Mall redevelopments moving forward in nearly every major American metropolitan area is an "opportunity to create new urban centers where homes, shops, offices, and civic institutions can cluster in a walkable radius."
via @benschneider.bsky.social
NYC Center for an Urban Future calls for robotaxi fees:
"Unlike with ride-hailing in the early 2010s, city leaders have an opportunity this time to get ahead of a major transportation shift by putting a revenue framework in place before the market takes off."
nycfuture.org/pdf/5IdeasRa...
Because it would have had to travel over the mountains, going up a steep grade and navigating some curvy sections. It wouldn't be possible to average 70mph in that kind of geography. Plus, the route was longer and more circuitous.
14.02.2026 00:04 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 1"For decades, a fatal assumption of American downtowns has been that, to compete, they must offer their best approximation of the big, blank parcels and ample parking of their suburban rivals. It’s an impossible game to win."
13.02.2026 23:42 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Architectural beauty is a really important issue in housing advocacy, but it can be hard to address with policy.
So many "design" regulations end up making buildings uglier.
This piece is a great summary of the kinds of policies that could actually promote beautiful buildings.
Wow, I'm impressed. Bloomberg has the best article on the Sepulveda Line I've seen. No errors, very detailed, pushed back on nimby talking points, centered voices like Matute, Schneider, and Raman, and even mentions an EIFD! Full marks.
13.02.2026 18:26 — 👍 141 🔁 20 💬 3 📌 2Thank you!
13.02.2026 19:16 — 👍 7 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
“A year after the $1.1 billion overhaul,” which added a new lane each direction, “the 405’s rush hour drive times were a minute slower than they were before the workers broke ground. Five years later, traffic was worse at all times of day.”
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Oh no! Hopefully this works?
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
The project is also a response to LA's housing crisis and its surrealist urban development.
The region's biggest job centers outside of downtown — Century City, UCLA, Westwood — are surrounded by mansion neighborhoods.
Many workers and students' must commute in from the more affordable Valley.
The Santa Monica Mountains are to LA what the Hudson River is to NYC, or the Bay is to SF — a huge natural barrier with millions of people living on either side.
The Sepulveda Pass subway project is LA's attempt to bridge that divide, its Hudson River Tunnels or BART.
LA is planning what could be the most expensive and complex transit project in American history — a subway across the Sepulveda Pass.
If it ever gets built, the benefits would be huge. An 80 min trip shaved to 20 mins, 100K+ rides per day, transfers to 4 other lines.
I feel the same about architecture criticism -- it needs to be out there in the mix. And, frankly, much of it these days could easily be in Metro, Opinion, Climate, Ideas ...
12.02.2026 18:13 — 👍 16 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0