CItyLab Daily: What Fare Is Fair?
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What We’re Following
The price is fright: When mass transit systems experience a decline in ridership, they face a dilemma: If they don’t raise revenue, how can they fund fixes for deteriorating service? And in an age of ubiquitous ride-sharing and cheap gas, what is a bus or subway ride really worth? That’s what New York’s MTA had to grapple with last month when it raised fares amid a potential death spiral for ridership.
There’s no such thing as a perfect transit fare, since any increase will push people to choose other, cheaper options. There are ways to strike a balance, though: Consider what residents are able to pay for a ride and how to improve the process of actually paying that fare. But beware of focusing too heavily on one issue—even the best fare won’t make up for sub-par service. Today on CityLab: What’s the Perfect Price for Public Transportation?
More on CityLab
Bauhaus Books
When the Whitney Museum of American Art opened in September 1966, its distinctly Brutalist design made an impression on Carlton Rochell, the director of Atlanta’s public library system. A few years later, Rochell asked architect Marcel Breuer to bring something similar to Atlanta. The result became the legendary Bauhaus architect’s final project: the Atlanta-Fulton Central Library. Last summer, after much debate, the city committed to upgrading Breuer’s building, with an expected reopening in May 2020. CityLab’s Mark Byrnes reports: How Atlanta Got—and Decided to Save—Its Brutalist Central Library
And check out “Building Bauhaus,” our series commemorating the 100th anniversary of the art school that changed the world.
What We’re Reading
Governor Cuomo warns of a 30 percent fare hike if congestion pricing fails (New York Times)
Welcome to birdpunk (Audubon)
The crash of the Boeing 737 Max is a warning to drivers, too (Slate)
House transportation committee’s probe of Trump Organization might make passing an infrastructure bill tough (NPR)
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