Downtown Paris, France by Adam Field licensed under Creative Commons.

The mayor of Paris offers an ambitious plan for the city. Why are so many luxury condos in New York City empty? A survey of US mayors shows the complexities of reducing car usage in cities.

Paris’s progressive agenda: As Mayor Anne Hidalgo seeks reelection in March, she unveiled proposals this week, including a referendum on the role of Airbnb, a commitment to spending 20 billion euros to convert offices into affordable housing, and making the city center “100 percent bicycle.” While such proposals are not so revolutionary in Europe, they are radical by international standards. (Feargus O’Sullivan | CityLab)

Why Manhattan’s skyscrapers are empty: Today, nearly half of Manhattan’s luxury condo units that have come onto the market in the past five years are still unsold. The problem is that these condos were not built with New Yorkers in mind, but rather for foreign investors looking for places to park money. Domestically, the Treasury Department has been cracking down on attempts to launder money. (Derek Thompson | The Atlantic)

What a survey of US mayors reveals about reducing cars in cities: The Menino Survey of Mayors, published January 21 from Boston University’s Initiative on Cities, found that nearly half of over 100 mayors in the US felt their cities were unsafe for cyclists while nearly 40% are concerned about pedestrian safety. However, about 77% of the mayors surveyed believe their speed limits are set at the right level. However, reducing auto speeds improves road safety. (Kristin Toussaint | Fast Company)

Bloomberg’s $1 Trillion infrastructure plan: This week, former New York City mayor and presidential candidate Micheal Bloomberg released a $1 Trillion infrastructure plan which would devote funds for roads, railways, pipes, and telecommunication lines. The plan would also invest in public transit and $12 billion in “alternative transportation projects such as bike lanes. (Laura Bliss | CityLab)

China’s speedy single-use plastics ban: China has enacted an incredibly speedy ban on single-use plastics. Plastic bags will be banned in all major cities by the end of the year, while single-use straws in restaurants will also be banned within the same time period. (Rain Noe | Core77)

Quote of the Week

“So if you manage to have a city where people on average are driving a lot fewer miles per capita to get what they need done, that’s just as good as having a city where a small portion of the people are taking transit.”

Streetlight Data CEO Laura Schewel in Fast Company discussing how they set up the US Cities Climate Transportation Index scoring system.

This week on the podcast, Laura Wiens of Pittsburgh for Public Transit talks about the group’s report on autonomous vehicles called, “Wait, Who’s Driving This Thing?”