MBTA Wonderland Blue Line subway station by The West End licensed under Creative Commons.

Expanding transit in Boston. Enhancing city sounds. Should we wipe out cars completely?

Fixing and expanding the T: Giving more people in Boston access to transit is imperative — not just for connectivity, but for the environment. As part of a series on future planning in the Boston region, David Scharfenberg dives into what kinds of transit expansions are feasible and whether high-speed rail is on the horizon. (David Scharfenberg | Boston Globe)

Rethinking city sounds: What if we rethought sound in busy cities? In Rotterdam, city officials believe that train bells and other noises are just background noise, but to many, it’s an unbearable hum. Still, some are looking for ways to extract and enhance new sounds to create valuable urban experiences. (Lauren Kelly | Noema Magazine)

What ‘ban cars’ really means: Doug Gordon, host of The War on Cars podcast, writes about what the phrase ‘ban cars’ means to him. Ultimately, it’s not about wiping cars off the face of the earth, but reckoning with the negative impacts of the automobile on society and expanding the rights of people who don’t drive. (Doug Gordon | Jalopnik)

Killing the smart city forever: To many in Toronto, Sidewalk Labs’ plans for a tech-first development lacked seriousness around addressing privacy concerns. So the city is now embarking on a new development project that focuses on sustainability and housing. It also leaves intact the idea that the messiness of a city is appealing and something smart city monitoring also seems to ignore. (Karrie Jacobs | MIT Technology Review)

Obama the YIMBY?: At the American Institute of Architects conference in Chicago, former President Barack Obama noted that urban sprawl isn’t good for the environment and that a lot of liberal cities aren’t so liberal when it comes to affordable housing. (Ben Dreith | dezeen)

Quote of the Week

“Procurement is not a neutral and esoteric administrative function, although it is typically treated as such…it is a key force in cities that can and should be directed toward the larger public good.”

Sascha Haselmayer in Smart Cities Dive discusses city procurement policy’s possibilities.

This week on the podcast, we’re joined by writer Dan Moore to talk about his piece in The Ringer entitled “What Do Cities Lose When they Lose Pro Sports?”