Construction for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project by Musashi1600 licensed under Creative Commons.

There are a bunch of transit projects happening across North America. Historic preservation councils are stopping solar panels. A former airport transforms into a complete community.

Transit openings in 2020 and beyond: About 20 transit projects will open this year between Canada, Mexico, and the US, with 60 major transit projects expected to open by 2026. Cities, like Montreal and Seattle, will essentially double the size of their rail systems during that time. Eight bus rapid transit projects will open, including those in Houston, Grand Rapids, and Vancouver. New Light rail lines will open in Los Angeles and Guadalajara, while metro rail projects will open in the San Francisco Bay Area, DC., and Honolulu. Yonah Freemark tracks transit projects and releases an overview of each year. (Yonah Freemark | The Transport Politic)

Historic preservation councils block solar panels: Historic preservation councils, in their effort to prevent their neighborhoods from visibly changing, are obstructing solar panel installations nationwide. Sometimes, homeowners are forced to lay panels flat, wrap panels in special camouflage sheets, or otherwise reduce the efficiency of panels. (David Roberts | Vox)

A former airport becomes a complete community: The land which was home to Austin’s Mueller Airport has become one of the city’s most livable, walkable places, with the added bonus of substantial affordable housing. More than 4,000 diverse living spaces have been built so far on the 711-acre former airport, 35% of which meet affordability standards, the result of a public-private partnership. (Robert Steuteville | CNU Public Square)

Parking requirements and the housing crisis: In Dallas, a parking space in a multifamily complex can cost about $1,200 a year as building costs are passed down to the renter. Additionally, there is an opportunity cost to supplying so much parking with housing, as it takes space away from amenities and other more productive uses for residents. (Katy Slade | D Magazine)

Measuring the cost of a state’s car economy: A working paper from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government estimated the existing costs of Massachusetts’ “vehicle economy,” including 37,000 miles of roads and 4.5 million vehicles. These estimates consider upkeep, snow removal, traffic delays, pollution, and many other factors that add up to $64B for the state each year. (Bill Lucia | Route Fifty)

Quote of the Week

“A vacancy tax can have some positive outcomes for people who are struggling the most if we use the money that the tax would raise in an appropriate way. But again, it’s not getting at the root causes of our housing problems, which are myriad, but certainly have a lot to do with race.”

UCLA Professor Michael Lens on WBUR talking about the potential pros and cons of a vacancy tax on housing production.

This week on the podcast, Lacuna CEO Hugh Martin talks about open source operating systems for city streets.