Seattle's new protected intersection in South Lake Union. Image by Seattle Department of Transportation.

Seattle finishes its first Dutch-style protected intersection. The nation’s largest Medicaid insurer invests in affordable housing. Why the legacy of Urban Renewal continues to hinder major infrastructure projects today.

Seattle’s new protected intersection: Seattle recently opened a new, Dutch-style protected intersection just a few blocks from the iconic Space Needle. The project connects the South Lake Union area with the Seattle Center by bike and foot and is part of a larger set of safety improvements. Plans for this specific corridor originated in 2013 and the intersection includes concrete islands and sensors that allow bike riders to follow bike-oriented signals. (Nicholas Deshais | Seattle Times)

Medicaid insurer takes on affordable housing: The Centene Foundation, the philanthropic wing of the largest Medicaid insurer, has pledged $900 million towards creating affordable housing by offering below-market loans to development partners. Social determinants of health drive 80% of health outcomes, and include access to food, housing, child care, and more. These are seen as part of a health system that starts before someone sets foot in a hospital. (Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez | Fortune via Yahoo News)

Urban renewal ruined everything: The US struggles to build large infrastructure and transportation projects, and Darrell Owens believes this is caused by the legacy of Urban Renewal in the 1950s and ’60s. As all levels of government implemented urban renewal policies that destroyed and divided vibrant Black communities with highways, they also failed to achieve the stated goals of renewal which were supposed to attract private investment into cities and improve access to jobs and amenities. What resulted was a public outreach process that gives more weight to wealthier, home-owning, whiter residents who exercise outsize power over what can and can’t be built. (Darrell Owens | The Discourse Lounge)

Mexico City is running out of water: Last year was Mexico’s hottest and driest in the last 70 years, leaving the country short of water. Now, the series of dams and canals that provide 27% of Mexico City’s water are at just 30% capacity, leading some to believe they could reach a “day zero” in June where the city can’t reliably provide water for its residents. The rainy season usually starts in June, so many hope there will be some relief, but there’s no guarantee after several years of below-average rain. (This article may be behind a paywall). (New York Times)

The buildings that could have been: A new book shows many grand buildings and architectural schemes that were never built. Atlas of Never Built Architecture explores plans that were too weird, too expensive, or too politically contentious to be completed, but still hold the fascination of architects. The book shares 350 projects from all over the world from famous and lesser-known architects alike. (Oliver Wainwright | The Guardian)

Quote of the Week

“It obviously affects me because it means more money disappears from my salary every day, but the worst part about it is that there is zero investment in the service. We commute in terrible conditions, cramped, delayed, and now we are paying more.”

Sofia Acosta in Associated Press discussing the 360% fare spike in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

This week on the podcast, we’re joined once again by Jarrett Walker to talk about the release of the revised edition of his influential book, Human Transit.