ASC's Intersections Newsletter — May 15, 2026
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Nora's Note
Driving a healthy economy. Transportation Week celebrates the 430,000 people working in the $93 billion transportation industry who keep our communities connected—linking people to jobs, education, healthcare, and opportunity—and keeping goods and services moving. Transportation investment is also smart economic policy: every dollar invested in public transportation generates an estimated $5 in economic returns. At the same time, transportation remains one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, making continued investment in cleaner technologies and sustainable mobility solutions essential to achieving climate and public health goals. Transportation is one of ASC’s key sectors, and we’re proud to support agency clients working to advance more sustainable, equitable, and accessible transportation systems. That includes addressing transportation poverty—a lack of affordable, reliable transportation options that limits access to jobs and essential services and has households in underserved communities spending 10-24% of their income on transportation. This Transportation Week, we recognize the professionals whose work keeps our economy moving and helps build a cleaner, more connected future. Happy Transportation Week!
Transportation
This month, the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) laid the final segment of track for the Purple Line—a transformative light rail project linking Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties in MD outside of Washington, DC. The Purple Line added over 2,000 constructions jobs and will provide 16 miles of vital connectivity between communities in need of transit infrastructure. MDOT is also providing over $600,000 in grants to 60 small businesses affected by the project, adding to the $2.6 million in grants awarded to small businesses in the Purple Line Small Business Grant Program in 2024. Purple Line service is expected to begin in winter 2027. Learn more about the project and its transformative impact on regional connectivity here. (Source: Mass Transit Magazine)
Gothamist: Goal! Dozens of NYC school streets to host kids soccer activities ahead of World Cup
AMNY: Green means go: DOT to install green wave signal timing along three Manhattan streets this month
Streetsblog: Brooklyn Bus Route Redesign Gives DOT More Room For ‘Bike Boulevards’ on Dean and Bergen Streets
Climate
After stewarding the land for thousands of years, the Indigenous communities of Bristol Bay in Alaska continue to protect their home against environmental harms. In 2001 the Northern Dynasty Minerals mining company proposed the development of Pebble Mine—a gold and copper mining operation that would have sat right on top of the region’s 2 major river systems—which was strongly opposed and resisted by the community, and after years of pushback in 2023 the EPA granted a final determination to stop the project. The decision is currently being revisited; continue here to read more about the steps ahead. (Source: Inside Climate News)
Grist: How controlled burns can help save taxpayers billions
Canary Media: Tesla Semis are about to hit the road. That’s good news for California.
Happy Eco News: Greenland Wildlife Overpass in Colorado Reconnects Habitat Across Major Highway
Economic Development
A recent Urban Institute study examining the impact of affordable housing development in Oklahoma found significant economic and fiscal benefits for the state—the production of 45 affordable multifamily developments generated $276 million in labor income, 4,000 temporary construction jobs, 57 property operations jobs, and an expected $126 million in tax revenue over 10 years. Amid a worsening affordable housing shortage, surging production costs, and labor shortages, these findings could strengthen the case for increased critical public investment in affordable housing development. For more on the state of housing development in Oklahoma, read here. (Source: Smart Cities Dive)
Planetizen: California’s hotel-to-housing program put 13,500 people into homes
The City: Hochul Intends to Opt Into Federal Tax Credit in Win for Private School Choice
The Daily Northwestern: Love Your Block grants support neighborhood revitalization, home improvement
Digital
Geographic information systems, or GIS, are changing how leaders understand and respond to the world around them. Once thought of mainly as digital mapping tools, GIS now helps communities visualize how infrastructure, transportation, climate, development, land use, and public needs overlap in real time. For public agencies, that kind of shared geographic picture can support smarter planning, clearer communication, and stronger decision-making around the places people live, work, and move through every day. Read more about how GIS is becoming a new kind of operating system for the world. (Source: Forbes)
GovTech: Civic Tech Partnership to Help Govt. Caseworkers Use AI
Route Fifty: More states look to preempt local AI laws, report finds
Tech Crunch: Five architects of the AI economy explain where the wheels are coming off
About Arch Street Communications
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