Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s new “La Sombrita” bus stop shade and light pilot structure by @LADOTofficial.

Will LA’s bus stop shade and light pilot achieve its designers’ aims? How a celebrity football coach sparked conversation around taxing vehicles by weight. Data shows people are moving to outer suburbs at increasing rates.

LA’s controversial bus stop shade and light pilot: La Sombrita, a pilot bus stop structure that is supposed to supply a small amount of shade and light for riders to address health and gender equity concerns, sparked a heated debate with its launch in Los Angeles, CA. Heralded by some decision makers in Los Angeles as a way to quickly begin addressing the problem of shade and lighting for bus riders, it was also derided for being a small crumb thrown at transit riders that deserve better. (Joe Linton | Streetsblog LA)

Tax vehicles by weight: Former sports star and current college football coach, Deion Sanders, purchased a commercial-grade Ford F-650 that weighs fourteen tons. The vehicle was splashed over social media with much fanfare but it also raises the question: why don’t we tax vehicles by weight? Larger vehicles cause greater damage to the roads, take more energy to power, and are more likely to kill pedestrians when a driver crashes. Perhaps their owners should pay for the negative societal impact of their heavy vehicles. (Alissa Walker | Curbed)

Moving outward from central cities: Even before the pandemic, data showed that housing prices were driving people outwards from urban centers to outer suburbs. Now, that trend might be accelerating due to the lasting effects of the pandemic. While cities aren’t doomed as a lot of commentators believe, the boom they experienced at the turn of the century is slowing and potentially reversing. (Aaron Renn | Governing)

Watering holes nourish us and our cities: Places to gather and drink, whether it’s bars or cafes, are important to the livelihood of cities and residents. But they are under threat of larger changes in cities because of the pandemic and higher housing costs. Watering holes have always been places to gather, whether in the savannah or as our favorite “third space.” They cultivate politics and culture, and we would be remiss to allow them to decline when we need them the most. (Alicia Kennedy | Yes! Magazine)

We’re running out of sand: The world is running low on the specific types of coarse sand needed to construct infrastructure and buildings. Demand for construction sand is expected to increase by 45% over the next few decades; all while 50 billion tons are already extracted from riverbeds annually. While it might seem like sand is abundant in places like deserts, the grains are rounded by wind and don’t bind easily in the mixing process. (Staff Writers | The Week)

Quote of the Week

“In the context of zoning, functional-family rules are still a half measure. In the midst of a housing crisis, why restrict living arrangements to any kind of family at all? Still, though in many cases imperfect, these definitions are clearing a path toward a bigger, vital idea: A person’s relationships with their loved ones, irrespective of biological or marital ties, can and should be enshrined in law.”

Michael Waters in The Atlantic discussing how zoning laws over time have unfortunately defined “family.”

This week on the podcast, Setha Low joins us to talk about her book Why Public Space Matters.