The fire departments vs. housing advocates fight is heating up: CA's draft single stair rules got "near unanimous feedback from California Fire Departments who are opposed to permitting single-exit stairway construction … greater than 3 stories." calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Major transport infra projects Trump admin has paused funding for, killed, or refused to let open: —Howe Bridge (MI/CAN): 2/9/26 —Red Line Ext. (IL): 10/3/25 —Gateway Tunnel (NJ/NY): 10/1/25 & 10/18/25 —Second Ave Subway (NY): 10/1/25 —High-speed rail (CA): 7/16/25 —High-speed rail (TX): 4/14/25

I’ve always felt like there’s something missing in the cultural discourse on post-industrial neighborhoods. Yes, they can embody the cringiest aspects of gentrification, as South Park so eloquently captured in its “SoDoSoPa” episode. BUT... benjaminschneider.substack.com/p/whats-the-...

This intuitively seems like a good idea, but it would be helpful to see more technical analysis. The Antelope Valley Line is old and largely single tracked and in very mountainous terrain. How would that affect the ability to run electrified HSR, even at relatively slow speeds?

The most interesting aspect of this report isn't the free buses vs. subway expansion tradeoff. It's the call to resurrect NYC's old growth model, where subway expansions powered housing booms. That, researchers say, is the real recipe for longterm affordability. My coverage in @bloomberg.com:

It was a pleasure to speak with @bentongraham.bsky.social about passenger rail in the US. We discussed what makes the Northeast Corridor so (relatively) successful, what can be accomplished on other publicly-owned rail lines, and, of course, what’s going on with CAHSR.

Automated through-running super-express metro systems get the goods

The federal money for the Second Avenue subway is also still frozen, and the MTA will be unable to award the next project if the money isn’t flowing by March nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/01/28/t...

A good corollary to the Transportation for America's piece on moonshot transit investment from 2 weeks ago is Eno's piece from today on predictability in passenger rail investment. enotrans.org/wp-content/u...

That’s not to say I do or don’t agree with the whole list, which is why I said it’s food for thought. But “What would a coherent national transit expansion program look like?” isn’t a question I find most people asking, perhaps because the US hasn’t thought in those terms in a long time.

There's always a risk of infrastructure fetishism with transit advocacy. And every transit project should be coupled with better land use as a rule. But I think @nilo.bsky.social is understating the number of big projects in the US that would serve extant travel demand. It's not just NYC...

Will America build transit using the latest design best practices, like automation, electrification and through-running service? Or will it continue to build slow, at-grade light rail lines; infrequent diesel commuter trains; and short, impossibly expensive heavy rail subway extensions?

New White House ballroom details just dropped: At the request of Donald Trump a new portico and pediment was added, with more Corinthian columns than the Treasury Building or Supreme Court. With this addition the ballroom appears to be taller than the White House www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

It's notable to see MTA chairman Janno Lieber complimenting the new generation of transit advocacy groups, which have sometimes been a thorn in his side. In my story on the IBX, I noted how these groups appear to be having a real impact on the project's design. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Brightline is in such a bizarre state. Ridership is booming but its finances are in shambles. It's really hard to run a profitable railroad, especially when you have to pay back construction debt. www.planetizen.com/news/2026/01...

Seattle's light rail has been so successful — 24% more riders than pre-COVID — because it acts like a heavy rail metro, offering faster-than-driving speeds between the city's busiest neighborhoods. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Preliminary data about NYC Subway's 125th St extension from report released yesterday from @mta.info: www.mta.info/document/196... —Project would attract ~164,000 daily boardings —Stations would be deep to get under existing lines —Project estimated at $7.7 b (2027$) —Earliest revenue service 2032

LA Metro has selected an automated subway connecting the San Fernando Valley and West LA as its preferred design for the Sepulveda transit project. They project 2.5 min peak frequencies and a travel time of 10 min or less for the initial segment. thesource.metro.net/metro-board-...

Gov. Hochul's SEQRA reforms appear very similar to the CEQA reforms California passed last year. This looks more and more like the new Democratic playbook: Don't let environmental laws block things that are good for people and the environment. www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

A huge, transformative project that, if delivered, would be the first consistent expansion of the New York City subway system since about WWII.

Very excited for my virtual talk with SPUR's Laura Tolkoff tomorrow at 12:30 Pacific. Register here: www.spur.org/events/2026-...

LA Metro has selected an automated subway connecting the San Fernando Valley and West LA as its preferred design for the Sepulveda transit project. They project 2.5 min peak frequencies and a travel time of 10 min or less for the initial segment. thesource.metro.net/metro-board-...

LA Metro is moving forward what @benschneider.bsky.social called in 2024 "America's most exciting transit project": a 13.8-mile fully automated Sepulveda Corridor metro from the Valley to UCLA and Wilshire. Travel times end-to-end would be 18 minutes or less.

Glad to see Jersey City's housing boom getting covered in the NYT. It's a good overview but it misses some important dynamics that I came across in my reporting on Jersey City housing for Vital City last year. Thread: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/... www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/le...

The double standard between what Brightline is expected to scope and what a public transit agency is expected to scope is absolutely jaw dropping.

Two years ago, I wrote a piece praising LA’s bold initiatives on housing and transportation. Since then, many of those policies have been watered down, ignored, or simply haven’t worked as well as predicted. benjaminschneider.substack.com/cp/183713062

Thought provoking thread on the big picture of AV safety. This point on the cultural/psychological dimension of AVs is really underexplored. Who chooses to ride in AVs, and who chooses to keep driving, will have a huge impact on safety outcomes. benjaminschneider.substack.com/p/the-freudi...

Interview with @benschneider.bsky.social on transit and housing initiatives in Los Angeles. franknewsus.substack.com/p/las-urban-...

"The last significant multi-family building nearby, the six-story, 12-unit art deco structure built into the hillside at 330 West Portal, was completed in 1933." www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/e...

The Unfinished Metropolis by @benschneider.bsky.social was one of my favorite 2025 urbanism reads, filled with real examples of how the U.S. is relearning how to make cities work for people. islandpress.org/books/unfini...

The $4b in federal grants that CA High-Speed Rail has given up on were specifically earmarked for the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment. Financially it's a big loss, but procedurally it's one less barrier to skipping Merced and making it to the Bay Area.

Hudson River tunnels looking very much under construction

Big news for advocates pushing the MTA to run automated trains on the IBX www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Gov Hochul will veto a bill to require both a conductor and a driver on every subway train, according to two sources familiar with the decision. Story to follow. Details on the bill here: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/n...

My mind is BLOWN. The Curran has a new owner, and it's... the San Francisco Giants?!?!? As a theater critic, I never thought I'd be texting with the owner of an MLB team, but there you go! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

It's no mystery what Brightline and the state of Florida should do to improve safety around the tracks

Very powerful piece on the importance of speed for new transit projects, especially in sprawling North American cities. I would add that transit speed is becoming even more important in an increasingly competitive urban transportation market with e-bikeshare, ride-hail and robotaxis.

Portland is emerging as the model for missing middle housing reforms. These policies made homeownership and desirable neighborhoods accessible to the middle class again.

In its rightful place!

Very excited for this virtual conversation with @tonyjordan.bsky.social of @parkingreform.org this Thursday at noon! RSVP here: luma.com/zokpfm90

There are only three regions in the U.S. where intercity trains are time-competitive with driving, according to this new analysis from @agordon.me: The Northeast Corridor, Seattle-Portland, and a few routes out of Chicago. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

In the 90s, RPA was advocating for both #CongestionPricing and a version of the Interborough Express (then the Triboro) Today, we're seeing both moving forward. Kate Slevin talked to City Lab about the history: https://bloom.bg/4pEUwum

New York's IBX project could more than just a transit line. It has the potential to be a city-building force, bringing thousands of new riders onto transit and creating walkable neighborhoods. And that's precisely what opponents are concerned about... www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

If you want to get caught up on the IBX, this is a good piece that takes a measured look at the project, its pros and cons from a transit perspective, and the NIMBY opposition to it (without adopting the negative NIMBY framing).

The further you get from that moment of freezing a city, the less and less that city reflects the present-day needs and wants of the people that live there. Loved this convo with @theoverheadwire.com about how cities got stuck. usa.streetsblog.org/2025/12/11/t...

A Train Grows in Brooklyn: Everything you could possibly want to know about the IBX, its challenges, and how it could reach its full potential. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Many Millennials were first introduced to urban planning through SimCity, a remarkably realistic city-building game complete with municipal budgets, zoning ordinances, and utilities. But there’s one aspect of city planning the creators were forced to fudge... www.planetizen.com/features/136...

As cities like SF fix their zoning, those new ground rules need to reflect what actually gets built. If not, voters will lose faith in the politicians trying to do the right thing. My take on the Marina towers in the @sfchronicle.com: www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/emil... :

"People famously say, 'We’re not Amsterdam.' It was laid out by Dutch people in the 17th century and they called it Nieuw Amsterdam." nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/12/08/n...

For @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social, I explored the historical evolution of NYC's streets, and why Mayor-elect Mamdani is uniquely positioned to usher in the next generation of street design. What could that look like? —Car free neighborhoods —World class BRT —Comprehensive curb management