Welcome to The Weekly Journey - your two-minute journey through the world of mobility and beyond. Use it to stay informed, find a new go-to source, or just have a peek inside how we think. Brought to you by the team at Journey.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Be sure to subscribe to get The Weekly Journey in your inbox.

A few interesting things. 🧠

🧟 Dawn of the Wal*Mall: Walmart just purchased the Monroeville Mall, Pittsburgh’s largest enclosed shopping center. While Walmart has previously purchased regional shopping centers to site new stores, the retail giant is reportedly viewing the complex as a mixed-use development opportunity. Could we be seeing the start of a big box + housing trend?

🔌 Electric Buses: A great overview of key considerations in electric bus scheduling and operations from Mark Holmes.

🏙️ What Tenants Want: Greystar published an overview of their annual survey of what amenities and features renters prioritize in their apartment search.

🌳 Shade: Phoenix has a plan to dramatically increase available shade in public spaces - an increasing focus of transit and walkability planning.

💵 Congestion Pricing: Two college students built a dashboard for tracking how congestion pricing is affecting traffic in New York City.

A quick Journey update. 👷‍♀️

Join Our Book Clubs: Ready to make 2025 your reading era? Then join one of our upcoming book clubs…

• Chicago City Builders Book Club (TONIGHT!): Journey founder Lauren Mattern is partnering with Marla Westervelt of Cityfi to launch a new Chicago-focused book club, discussing all things related to urban development and architecture. They’ll meet up on the 4th Wednesday of every month somewhere in The Loop. In January, they are reading The Daley Show: Inside the Transformative Reign of Chicago’s Richard M. Daley. First meeting is tonight at Elephant & Castle from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM! Sign up here.

• ACT Book Club: Lauren is leading the Association for Commuter Transportation’s first-ever book club. Discussions will be held virtually and are open to all ACT members. In 2025, the club will read Paved Paradise by Henry Grabar, Trains, Buses, People by Christof Spieler, and Key to the City by Sara Bronin. First meeting is Thursday, February 13 at 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM EST - featuring special guest Sara Bronin and our own Lauren Mattern. Sign up here.