Over the past 30 years, the overgrown Iranian capital has arrived at unhealthy levels of air pollution and traffic congestion, but with the installation of a metro, BRT system, and bike rental program seems to be heading in a new direction.
TheCityFix takes a look at the megacity of nearly 14 million people and how the mobility situation has changed over the past several decades.
"The greatest achievement of the city government over the past two decades has probably been the construction of the Tehran Metro, the first such system in this country of 70 million people. Today, the Tehran Metro boasts ridership of about 4 million people. In addition, a parallel system of bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes has been developed across the capital and is rapidly expanding as city officials race to fulfill a program to have total public transit miles exceed 400 kilometers by 2020.
Meanwhile, this last September the Tehran municipality government rolled out a program for bike rental. The program, currently in a testing stage, is expected to expand in the coming years, and one hopes it will be but the first in the implementation of progressive planning techniques in the city.
Tehran continues to be the largest and densest concentration of people within Iran, and as such, remains a laboratory for urban ideas for the entire country."
Thanks to Garrett Bradford
FULL STORY: Urban Planners Playing Catch-Up in Smoggy Tehran

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie