Breakfast links: Here’s what a European transit official thinks about Metro after taking a ride
Vienna, Austria’s subway chief rides DC’s metro
The head of Vienna, Austria's subway system took a ride on DC's metro and shared his impressions. The seating and space on trains was good, but the low lighting on platforms was concerning. As for the eight-minute rush hour headway times, he declined to comment. (Martin Di Caro / WAMU)
It’s a jungle out there
DC has an unusually high concentration of wildlife due to the many green “highways” that penetrate into the city. DC's Rock Creek Park provides a habitat for many animals, and the rest of the city also has an array of animal-friendly spaces. (Jacob Fenston / WAMU)
The nation’s homeless population grew for the first time since 2010
Large, high-cost cities are driving homelessness across the nation, though 30 states and DC saw decreases. In the past year there has been an overall increase of one percent, or 3,814 more people who are homeless — the first time this population has grown since 2010. (Alastaire Boone / City Lab)
What cities are America’s artists living in these days?
Where are America's art hubs? Los Angeles has dethroned New York City for overall artist concentration, but unfortunately DC did not crack the top ten. However, when measuring employed artists, the DC region comes in seventh. (Richard Florida / City Lab)
A new bill forces DC landlords to correct housing code violations quickly
A bill introduced in the DC Council would create a standard timeframe in which DC landlords would have to correct housing code violations. Currently, because of the appeals process, landlords can get away without correcting issues for years. (Nena Perry-Brown / Urban Turf)
Tech is looking to disrupt traffic
From game-finding programs to open data projects, the tech industry is taking a hard look at traffic data to improve everyday life. Many projects at a local conference focused on combining quantifiable statistics with human feedback. (Andrew Carpenter / Mobility Lab)
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