Transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar are growing quickly. A recent article examines the potential of such networks to build new efficiencies into urban transportation, as well as some of the risks to that potential.
Writing from Los Angeles, Juan Matute takes an optimistic approach to the growth of transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar.
“I still believe the primary benefit of these new companies is that they can be a scalable platform for rideshare. The greatest promise of each of these services is to bring large numbers of drivers and passengers together on a single platform, which then makes passenger matching and shared rides that are ancillary to a driver’s intended trip more likely,” writes Matute.
Matute also mentions some of the unresolved questions around liability as well as the systems' ongoing need to better anticipate and respond to shifts in the supply and demand. “Anecdotal evidence suggests the supply of Uber and Lyft drivers has outpaced demand in Los Angeles in recent weeks,” says Matute.
FULL STORY: The Growth and Growing Pains of Transportation Network Companies
Massachusetts Approves Initial Regulations for Transportation Network Companies
Transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft took a major step toward legal recognition in Massachusetts.
Uber and Lyft Are Dragging Traditional Taxi Companies Into the 21st Century
Rideshares like Uber and Lyft have been under attack for their brash approach to local regulations and laissez-faire pricing schemes, but they've also pushed traditional taxis to dramatically improve their service in a very short span of time.
Economists Give Uber and Lyft a Resounding Thumbs Up
A recent survey of the Initiative on Global Markets Economic Experts Panel found clear and broad support for the economic benefits of transportation network companies.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
