Tanneries along the Bièvre river in Paris in the late 19th century by Charles Marville.

Paris needs to cool down — and what better way than a river? A new way to look at zoning and housing costs. Will 2022 be a better year for transit construction?

Paris may daylight a lost river: The last stretch of the Bièvre River in Paris was sealed up in 1912, when pollution from tanneries was rampant and the stench from waste was unbearable. But this urban river might see the light of day once more as climate change forces locals to consider ways to cool down the city. Paris’ Green Party proposed daylighting the river and after a feasibility study the first section is expected to be open in 2026. (Ciara Nugent | Time Magazine)

What is the “zoning buffer”?: In a recently released paper, UCLA researcher Shane Phillips defines the “zoning buffer” as the gap between existing housing stock and the number of homes allowed by existing zoning. He argues that extensive downzoning in the middle and late 20th century led to a shortage of homes and high prices, arguing the solution is increasing the zoning buffer such that six to 10 units per parcel are allowed on up to half of a city’s land area. (Shane Phillips | UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies)

Transit projects planned for 2022: More than 20 fixed-guideway transit projects are set to open in the US this year after 2021 proved to be somewhat disappointing, with projects from Boston’s Green Line extension to Washington’s’ Silver Line extension delayed. (Yonah Freemark | Transport Politic)

Chick-fil-A fires store manager for opposing drive-thrus: A manager at a Charlotte, N.C., Chick-fil-A restaurant, and Masters student in Public Administration at UNC Charlotte, was fired after he expressed concern in a Facebook post about the city allowing the chain to open a drive-thru-only restaurant in an area zoned for transit-oriented development. He said it was frustrating the city worked so hard to get to a TOD plan, only to have it changed when convenient. (Paige Masten | Charlotte Observer)

Slow it down: A new railway cooperative with 11,000 members in France will begin using secondary rail lines to provide “Slow Train” passenger service between underserved areas of the country. The program is made possible after the EU opened monopoly rail services to competition and will cost much less as well. A trip from Caen to Toulouse is expected to cost 30 euros for the 10-hour journey. (John Lichfield | TheLocal.fr)

Quote of the week:

“People think it’s just about recycling. But really, it’s about rethinking everything—products, material development, how we consume.”

Nani Pajunen in Time Magazine discussing Finland’s plans to end waste and create a circular economy.

This week on the podcast, Anna Zivarts from Disability Rights Washington and Paulo Nunes-Ueno from Front and Centered join us to talk about the Disability Mobility Initiative and the Mobility Bill of Rights.