Should Amtrak be Broken Up?

Amtrak Hiawatha Service train. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Every day at The Overhead Wire we sort through over 1,500 news items about cities and share the best ones with our email list. Each week, we take some of the most popular stories and share them with Urban Milwaukee readers. They are national (or international) links, sometimes entertaining and sometimes absurd, but hopefully useful.

Breaking up Amtrak?: The Federal Railroad Administration has stirred some controversy by proposing to split Amtrak up into three different entities under a holding company. Critics worry the move could lead to privatization long wanted by conservative lawmakers while supporters see it as a possible avenue for modernization. (Coco Dollanganger | The Travel)

Turning rooftops into a climate shield: Zurich Switzerland created a green roof mandate in 1991, requiring vegetation on all new or renovated flat roofs. Now up to 12% of roofs in some neighborhoods are full of vegetation with 40% of flat roofs supporting plants. Switzerland is warming faster than other places around the globe and the hope is that these roofs will help cool the city down when warmer temperatures hit and reduce the impacts of stormwater. (Michaela Haas | Reasons to be Cheerful)

Truck pollution impacts health: A new study out of the University of Melbourne found that pollution from heavy trucks and buses costs Australians $6.2B in health impacts. Heavy vehicles make up 4% of the vehicle fleet nationwide but 25% of the emissions. Researchers hope these findings will make public health part of new lawmaking surrounding heavier trucks and that it starts a push to take some of these vehicles off the road. (Petra Stock | The Guardian)

Electric Buses put to the test: After rolling out a fleet of 62 electric buses in 2024, Madison Wisconsin with it’s cold winters has been a test bed for their efficacy. So far they have been a success and their operation has lessons for other cities in cold climates. They found that the ability to recharge along the route at special stations and improving batteries are helpful in keeping power available. Regenerative braking has been useful in reducing sliding in icy conditions as well. (Benton Graham | Grist)

Euclidian zoning turns 100: In 1926 zoning the Supreme Court Decision Euclid vs Ambler Realty changed how cities develop and grow. Now at 100 years old, many are reconsidering the impacts and legacy of zoning, especially around affordability around the country. Some 33 states now have laws that reform zoning in some way to allow more than just single family homes. (Anthony Flint | Bloomberg CityLab)

Quote of the Week

The corruption piece definitely surprised me. I mean, I’m not naive, I know there’s corruption. I had not realized how deeply infiltrated it is to our lives, and how widespread it is, because we don’t talk about it that often, especially in the United States. In the literature, it’s treated like a developing country issue. A lot of it happens exactly in the realm of my studies—in land development, economic development—because that’s where the money is, that’s where the power is. And we, trained as planners, in these government institutions, we more likely function as technician types. We have technical expertise, but we’re really not very good at navigating the political landscape.

-Dr. Kerry Fang in an interview with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy discussing her research on corruption in the development process.

This week on the Talking Headways podcast, Chris and Melissa Bruntlett discuss their newest book Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation.

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