The Benefits of London’s Social Housing

Central Hill. Photo by Stephen Richards / Housing estate, Central Hill. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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.

Utah vehicle emissions down: Emissions in Utah along the Wasatch Front Mountain Range have dropped 70% since 2011. Local officials chalk the reduction up to better urban planning and more transportation choices, but a big change in gasoline formulation was likely a major component. Lower levels of sulfur and nitrous oxide emissions from cars is good news for local health, but with population growth and urban sprawl, officials are looking towards slower reductions in the future. (Sean Higgins | KUER)

Don’t plan for the average citizen: New research from Constructor University in Germany suggests that urban planning models that rely on the profile of an average citizen don’t get at the multitude of needs residents have, specifically families. Mobility patterns differ significantly for certain groups and should be considered when making plans. Data collected by the group found certain cities benefitted some family units more than others such as Chicago with parents or Atlanta with married couples. (Maike Lempka | Constructor University)

London’s social housing benefits: Guardian editorial writers believe that the City of London’s social housing, anywhere between 20-40% of central London housing stock, contributes greatly to the local economy. Research suggests that setting aside housing the housing benefit, social housing residents contributed £27.8 billion to the city with residents needing less public services, having greater mental health, and the ability to hold stable employment. (The Guardian)

Battery electric trains: The MBTA approved the acquisition of battery powered trains for the Fairmount commuter line in 2019 which runs completely inside Boston city limits. Those 26 trains will be ready for testing in 2029 and cost $769m to lease from Stadler. Advocates wonder why the agency is taking a risk with unproven technology and not just stringing tried and true overhead wires. But MBTA officials fear the costs and neighborhood reaction to the infrastructure needed for systemwide electrification. (Chris Lisinski | Commonwealth Beacon)

No secret to a thriving downtown: The pandemic flipped the script on downtowns, freeing Americans from a monocentric destination that had catered to real estate interests and had been declining since the 1970s. At current moment, there’s no reason for people to be downtown often and there isn’t a mega project that is likely to fix that. But for those who want to actually create a better place for people, the solution is both simple and hard; create a place that makes living regular life easy. (Iain Montgomery | Challenger Cities)

Quote of the Week

We just couldn’t afford the road system that we already had. And then we had an $8.6 billion maintenance backlog, which amounts to nothing more than a taxpayer liability.

-Former US Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck in Field and Stream discussing the administration’s move to repeal the US Forest Service’s roadless rule to build more roads through the wilderness, impacting drinking water and wildlife.

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we’re joined by Lisa Jerram of APTA and Philip Plotch of the Eno Center for Transportation to discuss Eno’s report: Customization, Competition, and Costs: Findings and Recommendations for the U.S. Transit Bus Industry.

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