As the entire Europe is suffering from unprecedented heat waves, Dortmund bought new trains without air conditioning, and that's not by mistake. They claim this will save millions of euro in operating costs. I'm sure Stadtwerke's CEO's car has no air conditioning in it. www.bild.de/politik/inla...

Stadtwerke in Dortmund wollten sparen: Zoff um neue Bahnen ohne Klimaanlagen

Die neuen Stadtbahnen in Dortmund fahren aus Spar- und Klimagründen ohne Klimaanlage. Das sorgt für heftige Reaktionen – auch bei den Grünen.

bild.de

Really important research with clear findings, implications & policy recommendations to arrest the trend of oversized cars & trucks killing & maiming more pedestrians 🙏 & kudos to Milad Haghani, Abbas Rajabifard, Iman Taheri Sarteshnizi, & Neema Nassir @aunz.theconversation.com

Big US-style trucks are killing more pedestrians in Australia – our research proves it

Pedestrians are more likely to be killed by heavier cars – and even more so if the vehicle is taller, Australian-first research has found.

theconversation.com

The conventional wisdom is the Democrats' big climate law failed to deliver votes and then died. That's wrong. My new study finds its factories moved 2.5 million votes—more than Trump's margin. And the law's still alive. My latest in @theatlantic.com. Gift link! www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Bidenomics Was More Successful Than People Think

Conventional wisdom holds that Joe Biden’s bet on climate investment was a bust. The data suggest otherwise.

theatlantic.com

Wednesday's Most Read # 1 - Maryland's case for a statewide housing revolving fund link.theoverheadwire.com/7a34f Maryland Matters

Maryland's case for a statewide housing revolving fund - Maryland Matters

Maryland has big housing problems and ambitious housing goals, but it also has an example of a possible solution, write Zachary Marks and Tom Coale, who say the state should mimic Montgomery County's ...

link.theoverheadwire.com

Wednesday's Most Read # 2 - Move over, zoning. Housing’s unsung hero is better street design. link.theoverheadwire.com/k7f49 Planetizen

Move over, zoning. Housing’s unsung hero is better street design.

The physical layout of infrastructure is the quiet force that shapes housing supply.

link.theoverheadwire.com

Wednesday's Most Read # 3 - Greener streets may improve sleep link.theoverheadwire.com/fvupg Pragmatika

"We propose “networked proximity” – a model in which local liveability is achieved not through isolated neighbourhood clusters but through high-frequency rail connectivity – as a necessary complement to current 15-minute city thinking." link.theoverheadwire.com/u9ncr

Beyond the Western paradigm: re-evaluating the 15-minute city through the lens of Japanese transit-oriented urbanism

The 15-minute city, formalised by Carlos Moreno in 2016, has become a dominant framework for sustainability discourse. Yet its diffusion from Paris to Melbourne and Portland has proceeded without i...

link.theoverheadwire.com

This should be very fun. Come join me and @nerd4cities.bsky.social!

The Urbanist@theurbanist.org · 14h ago

NEW STORY// August Social and The Urbanist x CityNerd: Building a Transit-Oriented Puget Sound By Diego Batres via @theurbanist.org

When you ask voters to approve taxes for public transit, what you mostly get is a map of residential density. Here's the latest from Spokane, WA where the measure narrowly leads at the moment.

Spokane’s transit referendum—which would fund operations and the city’s second BRT line—is narrowly ahead in the first round of counting.

@kxly.com · yesterday

Proposition 1 is ahead by a slim margin — 31,153 to 30,686 — as Spokane counts ballots. The renewal would keep the STA sales tax at 0.8% (8¢ per $10) and is estimated to generate about $942 million over 20 years.

Trump's USDOT has published a rather hollow National Roadway Safety Strategy. Among the many topics it ignores: 🔹 Pedestrian crash safety standards (which Biden proposed) 🔹 Bike safety 🔹 Restrictions on car bloat, blind zones, or infotainment distraction www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.go...

In the US, zero emissions buses accounted for only 5.6% of total new bus registrations in recent data theicct.org/publication/... US is absolutely falling behind on this metric, and things seem to be getting worse in recent months.

Warspitefella 🇬🇧🇺🇦@warspitefella.bsky.social · 23h ago

Electric Buses Point of no return - have gone from 12% to 56% of new city bus sales in Europe in just 6yrs Europe's 2035 target of 100% zero emission bus sales could be reached as early as 2028 Bravo Europe 🇪🇺!

Some things I've learned about legislative advocacy, and I think my record speaks for itself. 1. Start by asking for everything you want. Stop preemptively negotiating against yourself. The process of passing the bill will whittle it down. Why started with a whittled down product?

Tuesday's Most Read # 1 - To Save Japan’s Heritage Homes, People Are Shipping Them Across the World link.theoverheadwire.com/q9ntu @nytimes.com

To Save Japan’s Heritage Homes, People Are Shipping Them Across the World

Millions of abandoned kominka are scattered across Japan. Now, teams of enthusiasts are dismantling and rebuilding them overseas.

link.theoverheadwire.com

Tuesday's Most Read # 2 - World’s tallest hybrid timber tower tops out in Sydney link.theoverheadwire.com/4p7dv @archinect.bsky.social

World’s tallest hybrid timber tower tops out in Sydney

The Atlassian Central tower in Sydney, Australia, has topped out, becoming the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower. Designed by SHoP and BVN, and standing at 590 feet tall, the 39-story commercial bui...

link.theoverheadwire.com

Tuesday's Most Read # 3 - The rent was already high. Then came the $200 work-from-home fee link.theoverheadwire.com/frvpa @usatoday.com

The rent was already high. Then came the $200 work-from-home fee

For some tenants, rent on the sunlit one-bedroom in an upscale California neighborhood was $3,250. But if you worked from home? $200 more a month.

link.theoverheadwire.com

"The E-Line draws about 5,600 riders daily—nearly double what Metro Transit expected." www.fox9.com/news/6-month...

6 months in: Minneapolis E-Line nearly twice the riders Metro Transit expected

Metro Transit’s E-Line is marking six months on the road, and business owners are weighing in on the changes it has brought to their neighborhoods.

fox9.com

A story of cause and effect: Last November, Ontario banned cities from using speed safety cameras to issue tickets. Reckless speeding immediately surged in Toronto, Ottawa, Guelph, and cities throughout the province. A 🧵 about my latest in Bloomberg (gift link)

What Happens When Speed Cameras Get Shut Off

In 2025, Ontario banned automated traffic enforcement. Now the number of drivers exceeding the speed limit has surged, according to traffic data.

bloomberg.com

Got a new paper out today... "Urban areas with lower commute mode share by car and, to a lesser extent, lower VMT are most strongly associated with lower per capita transportation fatality rates." (and it's open access if you are the type of person who wants to read a research paper)

What drives urban transportation safety? Exploring the role of modal composition and travel exposure

Purpose. Past urban transportation safety efforts have largely focused on controlling road user behavior through tactics such as speed management and separating users in space and time. This research ...

doi.org

Great new podcast interview of me by Sarah Goodyear about the new edition of my book HUMAN TRANSIT. We touch on rail-bus debates in Atlanta and Portland, free fares in NYC, and on how to be a more effective advocate. A fun half hour for all! Pls share! thewaroncars.org/2026/08/04/e...

Don't pretend that any of this is about protecting girls. It's about justifying prejudice and I want no part of it

South Carolina is now the first state in the nation for the Democratic Primary and this just ran in The State, the newspaper of Columbia, South Carolina. Come out to the rally and lobby day next week in Sac and help get our legislators to undo the cuts! actionnetwork.org/events/emerg...

Monday's Most Read # 1 - Congress Budgeted Billions for Big Transit Projects. Trump Isn’t Spending It. link.theoverheadwire.com/hydjv @nytimes.com

Congress Budgeted Billions for Big Transit Projects. Trump Isn’t Spending It.

“It’s hard to look at the last year and see anything other than a deliberate slowdown of these grants.”

link.theoverheadwire.com

Monday's Most Read # 2 - When Home Equity Isn’t Enough: The Challenge Facing House-Rich, Income-Poor Older Adults link.theoverheadwire.com/eac6g @shelterforce.bsky.social

When Home Equity Isn’t Enough: The Challenge Facing House-Rich, Income-Poor Older Adults — Shelterforce

Older homeowners often have too much home equity to qualify for aid, but too little income to comfortably live in their homes.

link.theoverheadwire.com

Monday's Most Read # 3 - In Philadelphia’s Chinatown, a Fight to Restore Funding for a Critical Highway Cap link.theoverheadwire.com/uxc7d @insideclimatenews.org

In Philadelphia’s Chinatown, a Fight to Restore Funding for a Critical Highway Cap - Inside Climate News

The project would lower noise and air pollution and help combat increasing temperatures. After losing federal backing under Trump, local lawmakers are working to save it.

link.theoverheadwire.com

"People will walk three miles inside of this big ... store but they have to park on the front step. They could just park in the back of the parking lot but no, they have to get their Toyota Tundra in that parking spot currently held by a little Prius just so they don’t have to walk farther."

Welcome to the Costco parking lot wars. It’s 'Survivor’ with cars

The No. 1 problem with Costco? Parking. Nothing gets hearts racing like hunting for an open spot. You can blame Costco's popularity and each other.

link.theoverheadwire.com

it's funny how americans don't like subsidized groceries like this because that is big scary socialism, but turn around and clamor for businesses to provide them free parking... when the cost of that parking is being subsidized by everyone, including non drivers, as they'll just rise prices

USA TODAY Opinion@usatodayopinion.usatoday.com · 3d ago

Opinion: Mamdani's idea may sound appealing, but it's NYC taxpayers who will take the hit, subsidizing discounts they may never even use.

Why have all these mayors been so weak on people oriented infrastructure lately?

Streetsblog USA@usa.streetsblog.org · last wk.

Milwaukee Mayor Abandons Highway Teardown To Calm Irrational Fears Of Driver Class

For the first time since 2018, we will be playing in the US Open Cup!