A few things to know this week: April 9, 2021
This week’s things to know:
White House Details $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan (Route Fifty)
So it's here. President Biden's infrastructure bill, dubbed the "American Jobs Plan" has a big number and broad reach. The proposal wouldn't just fund various infrastructure needs, but also covers affordable housing, jobs and workforce development, R&D, and more. On the surface, it's a bold proposal that seems worthy of consideration, but the devil is in the details. I like the specificity on bridges and inclusion of water and climate change elements. I think the distribution between roads and transit is skewed too far to highways. One area I want to see more on is the road funding. Will we be pouring billions into replacing and expanding oversized roads that exacerbate safety, housing and funding gaps our cities are struggling with, or will it go primarily to maintenance and retrofits that help communities shift to more walkable, compact neighborhoods that are more inclusive, equitable, and resilient? For now, here's the official fact sheet from the White House: FACT SHEET: The American Jobs Plan (The White House)
From Federal Sources to Local Uses: Maximizing the American Rescue Plan from the Ground Up (The New Localism)
Here's a good article by The New Localism author Bruce Katz on how local governments and communities can maximize the American Rescue Plan. -Kevin
Blockchain for Smart Cities: the future of Urban Management (Iberdrola)
One of the greatest outcomes of the Cryptocurrency movement is the Blockchain technology. With the current systems are not secure, efficient, or transparent. While the world is still assessing the impact of geographic, demographic, and fiscal data on economic development, it is only imperative to look at the technological innovation to compliment the smart cities action plans. This article is a great starter pack in understanding how blockchain viable addition to make cities more efficient and smart. -Bhargava
How Oral Histories Can Spark Dialogue Across Communities (Next City)
Too often, when planners are facilitating efforts to create city or neighborhood plans and asking residents to take part, a cardinal misstep is made: understanding the history of the area. By history, I don't just mean the charming historical buildings that remain, or looking at census figures for demographics. I mean a history that honestly looks at the politics, the tensions, the undercurrent of emotion, the human-ness of the area's past. Hearing how people of the area speak about their own histories in that location (and creating a space within which they feel comfortable sharing and speaking) is critical to the path forward. Progress is inevitable when the human element is recognized and embraced. Dr. Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani's book "Contested City: Art and Public History as Mediation at New York's Seward Park Urban Renewal Area" is an outstanding read. In this piece by Next City, they excerpt one of the most powerful parts, where she talks about "informed thoughtfulness". There's a webinar (linked here) coming up on April 14th on this topic, and you can sign up in a matter of minutes and pay what you wish for the experience. -AJ
Loose-fit infrastructure can better account for climate change (The Hill)
Our friend Hazel Borys with Placemakers shared this insightful article on how our infrastructure needs to be able to adapt to future changes. Too often, our focus is on meeting perceived future needs instead of ensuring that our infrastructure is adaptable, or as the author calls it, 'loose fitting'. It's hard to predict the future, but we can ensure that our infrastructure is resilient enough to adapt to future needs. -Tim
NACTO HIGHLIGHT:
Modernizing Federal Design Standards
Making the MUTCD Work for Cities
One federal document dictates what nearly every street looks like in the US. Did you know this, too? (If you're reading this, you might have, but we want to bring more attention to the issue). The document is the ‘Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices’ (MUTCD), and like other lengthy and coded regulations, it’s infested with rudimentary issues. Currently, FHWA is conducting an ongoing update to the MUTCD for the first time in more than 10 years. Sadly, the recently presented update does not go outside the margins - failing to aid designers and engineers of the future and remedy this flawed regulation. Taking a stand, a coalition of stakeholders including NACTO, various cities, and several organizations are calling for FHWA to commit to a comprehensive overhaul of the MUTCD, which was last rewritten in 1971.Want to join the cause? Help NACTO secure a retooling of the regulations holding back cities from designing and building better streets. For more info on how you can help in 1 minute or less, submit an official comment to the Federal Register. Reference more at nacto.org/mutcd and learn more about the campaign on Streetsblog and Roll Call.
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