Thursday’s Headlines Flip the Script

Want to make the argument for congestion pricing to conservatives? Here are your talking points.

By Blake Aued

12:13 AM EDT on March 27, 2025

Jim Henderson|

Congestion pricing cameras on 9th Avenue in Manhattan.

Conservatives should be applauding congestion pricing, but they're not. In response, progressives should make the argument about the free market and property rights (City Lab). In fact, Better Cities thinks congestion pricing's utter success is the reason why the Trump administration continues to oppose it. Meanwhile, the New York Times believes congestion pricing is still under threat because Gov. Kathy Hochul, having finally realized it's popular, is now using her strong position to demand more federal transit funding (CBS News).
Strip malls are dying, and the answer is to replace all that unused parking with more mixed-use space. (CNU Public Square)
Automated parking is going to give architects more flexibility in designing buildings. (Arch Daily)
Languishing Rust Belt cities are often said to have "great bones." But what does that mean? (The Corner Side Yard)
The Urbanist believes that Seattle's Sound Transit has appointed King County Executive Dow Constantine as its new CEO, despite concerns about conflicts of interest and his lack of experience in the transit industry.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, lauded by Streetsblog for her aggressive approach to building bus and bike lanes, talked to WBUR about becoming more conservative as she runs for re-election.
A billion-dollar investment in sidewalks passed out of a Portland city council committee. (BikePortland)
Safety advocates in Durham are frustrated at the slow pace of the North Carolina city's Vision Zero rollout. (INDY Week)
New radar technology called LIDAR is helping Nashville traffic engineers track near-misses, speeding and crashes. (News Channel 5)
Park illegally in Pittsburgh and an AI camera might bust you. (CBS News)
The Pittsburgh City Paper declares new freeway projects like the Southern Beltway taxpayer boondoggles.
Houston cyclists are protesting the removal of a bike lane on deadly Heights Boulevard. (Chronicle)
Philadelphia cyclists are split on plans for a protected two-way bike lane on a proposed new Market Street bridge. (Billy Penn)
Even in a U.S. city with a relatively good transit system like Philadelphia, going car-free is a challenge, especially with kids. (Citizen)
What should a mountain biker do when their buddies start using e-bikes and they can't keep up? (Outside)