News & Notes

Transit Faces Tough Road Ahead in U.S. Congress [Reason Foundation]

Incoming chair of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has released his appointments and the results probably didn’t foster much hope among urban transit advocates. None of the Republican appointments represent major urban districts, which means urban transit proponents will have to negotiate creatively if they want to see their priorities implemented.

Big-Box Retailers Move To Smaller Stores In Cities [NPR]

Personally, I’d welcome an urban Target, Filene’s Basement, Marshall’s, Best Buy, or a few other retailers to Providence. So long as they fit into the urban fabric and weren’t surrounded by parking, like Walmart and Home Depot on Charles Street.

How an Army of Techies Is Taking on City Hall [Fast Company]

Advocates of this kind of public-spirited innovation, typically known as “e-government,” “we-government,” or “gov 2.0,” say they’re employing social media and mobile technology to build not only a more responsive, collaborative, and effective government but also a more engaged citizenry and a richer civic life.

T apps: Bus coming, just around the snowbank [The Boston Globe]

While the MBTA is an easy target for criticism, the agency deserves only praise for letting private app developers have real-time data on the movements of its vehicles. For $1 or so, owners of iPhones, Androids, and other smartphones can now buy apps that say with great reliability when the next bus or train will arrive. For yesterday’s blizzard-addled commuters, it was a godsend.

Digital displays could attract new riders [Greater Greater Washington]

The digital information displays on the Washington, DC transit system remind me of the campus information displays introduced at RISD a couple years ago. Maybe RIPTA and RISD should talk.