National links: New bill would require Philly employers to offer transit benefits to workers

Some Philadelphia workers could get transit benefits from employers next year. More studies should focus on a city’s smells and sounds. Dark stores could be dangerous for urban areas.

Philly’s new commuter benefits: In a move to improve Philly area transit ridership, a new bill would require employers to provide commuter benefits to workers traveling to the central city. The legislation would be for companies with 50 employees or more and could include either employer-purchased passes or a pre-tax payroll deduction. If signed by the mayor, it would go into effect at the end of the year. (Maggie Mancini | Philly Voice)

The smells and sounds of cities: Sounds and smells are as much a part of the urban experience as sight. But not as much has been written or studied about the experiences of other senses in cities, which could be another valuable way to connect people with the places they live. (Jennifer Hattam | MIT Technology Review)

Dark stores are a danger to American cities: More dark stores and ghost kitchens are popping up across the U.S. These stores, which promise 15-minute deliveries of food and goods, don’t have a front door and can’t be patronized on foot, which can lead to less activity on streets. Along with e-commerce, they are also wreaking havoc on local businesses and impacting the soul of cities in a way that will be hard to recover. (Hans Taparia | Stanford Social Innovation Review)

A geographic-based gas tax: Researcher Cody Nehiba suggests that driving in various regions has different social costs, which should be reflected in gas tax policy. As he says, adding a car to congested Manhattan New York is much more harmful than adding one to Manhattan Kansas. Nehiba believes that a geographic-focused policy could bring more support for gas taxes while also reducing driving and emissions in cities. (Cody Nehiba | Transfers Magazine)

Quote of the Week

“Why doesn’t Dallas have the structures in place to achieve safer, more attractive streets, when all those plans and programs and manuals make it abundantly clear that Dallasites very much want those things? The simple answer: the car. The city bureaucracy is still beholden to an auto-centric mindset, nevermind the public will.”

Mark Lamster, architecture critic at the Dallas Morning News discusses what’s holding Dallas back from safe streets and better urban spaces.

This week on the podcast, Regional Plan Association President and CEO Tom Wright joins the show