Transportation and its relationship to the economy have been headline media topics for most of 2008 as we have seen unprecedented swings in fuel prices and travelers responding with declines in vehicle miles of travel (VMT) and unprecedented slowing in new vehicle sales. Transit and Amtrak have seen noticeable ridership growth and there have been cutbacks in demand for and supply of airline capacity. What is increasingly looking like an historic recession combined with a plummeting of gas prices late in 2008 has confounded the diagnosis of energy price impacts on travel.
Cars
Calcutta Removes Old Cars to Clean Air
In order to clean the air in Calcutta, officials have begun enforcing a rule that removes all vehicles manufactured before 1993, mandated by the city's High Court.
BBC
Cities Without Cars
This slideshow form Mother Nature Network shows seven globa cities that are completely free of cars.
Mother Nature Network
A Different Kind of New York Street Conversion 100 Years Ago
While New York City is currently taking space away from automobiles and giving it to pedestrians and cyclists, the New York City of 100 years ago was doing exactly the opposite. And it was a popular idea.
The New York Times
Electric Cars are Coming!
We're sorry to be buzz kills. But we've heard this one before. Like in 1990. And 1910. Do the automakers have the juice this time?
Salon.com
Ignoring Cars in Toronto
The City of Toronto prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists and transit over cars. Some in the city are concerned that the city is ignoring a car congestion problem that is only growing.
The Toronto Sun
Beijing Adds 1,466 New Cars Daily
For the first month and a half of 2009, the amount of new cars added daily in Beijing has climbed from 1,350 in 2008 to more than 1,450, bringing more than 65,000 cars into the city so far this year.
Agence France Presse via Grist
North Carolina Tries Toughening Up Emissions Standards
NC Rep. Price Harrison hopes that the third time's a charm when he reintroduces legislation requiring higher auto emissions standards. If it passes, the state's standards may start looking more like California's within the coming year.
The News & Observer
Twin Cities Transit Ridership Up, Funding Down
Ridership is up on transit in the Twin Cities. Fewer cars are being sold, and tax revenues are down. With little funding expected to fill the gap, transit fare increases may be on the horizon.
Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune
The Planetizen News Brief - 1/29/09
4:40 minutes (4.28 MB)
Obama reverses a controversial Bush decision, the market crash spurs land conservation, and an economic stimulus gets transit moving in China -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing weekly on "Smart City".
The Sprawl of Unsold Cars
The downturn in the economy has hurt the auto industry, leaving many cars unsold. Storage of these cars is becoming a problem for many automakers.
Guardian
Cars, Kids, and a Safer Environment Through Planning
Urban areas are filled with cars, and this creates an unsafe environment for children. This commentary argues that officials need to regain their faith in the power of planning to address the issue.
Guardian
How the Light Pickup Became America's Best Seller
Eduardo Porter traces the American preference for light trucks back to a tariff against frozen chicken back in 1961.
The New York Times
Cars Left Behind in Most Trips to Vancouver's Core
A recent study shows that about 60% of all trips into the urban core of Vancouver are not by car.
The Vancouver Sun
California Thinks About Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance Plans
The State of California is considering a plan to allow pay-as-you-drive car insurance plans. Many hope the move will encourage less driving.
The Los Angeles Times
Colleges Discouraging Cars
Colleges across the country are trying new incentive programs to get students to leave their cars behind when school starts.
USA Today
Study Says That Highways Don't Pay for Themselves
How often does one hear that transit is somehow a less respectable form of transportation than driving because of the "massive subsidies" transit receives? Well, a new study by Texas DOT says that highways don't pay for themselves either.
la.streetsblog.org
Oklahoma's Car Culture Forced to Adapt
Oklahoma City residents used to 70-mile commutes are turning to carpooling as gas hovers at $4 a gallon. But with the largest land area of any U.S. city, providing public transit remains a major challenge.
CNNMoney.com
Sweden Creates Sewage-Powered Cars, But Auto Industry Lags Behind
Household sewage is currently fueling cars in Sweden, and has for years. But Swedish industry has given up on the idea, investing in ethanol-based gasoline.
International Herald Tribune
Americans Reluctantly Face Their Gasoline Habit
The New York Times looks across the nation and finds consumers reluctantly changing their habits to deal with rising gas prices.
The New York Times
Contribute
- Walkscore to Get Bus Points
- Finding A Sustainabe Path for Jakarta
- Isn't This How We Got Into This Mess in the First Place?
- Simulating Mount Rushmore
- Talking 'Bout a RailVolution
- The Solution for Homelessness? Homes.
- The History of the Parking Lot
- The Most Polluted Metro Areas in America
- 'No Credits, Just Prerequisites'
- Center for Developmentally Disabled Doesn't Fit Zoning - Any Zoning
Fleeting Design -- Scott Page
Public Options in Transit and Health Care -- Michael Lewyn
Let Me Clear My Throat -- Ian Sacs
Don't Bogart That Joint, My Friend -- Dwight Merriam
Healthy, Wealthy and Wise Transportation Policy -- Todd Litman
D.C. Area Professional Development Courses Offered in Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability– Last Chance to Register!
Planning Academy at Virginia Tech, VT National Capital Region campus in Alexandria, VA
Nov 05, 2009
Managing Growth With Priority Funding Areas: A Good Idea Whose Time Has Yet to Come
Routledge
Nov 04, 2009
Step Up Your Site Analysis with Planetizen's Advanced Google Earth Webinar
Planetizen
Nov 04, 2009
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