Cars

Overhead view of multilane elevated highway with multiple levels.

The Harms of a Car-Centric World

While most of the world’s population doesn’t drive, cars have an outsized negative impact on public health, the environment, and land use.

March 7, 2024 - Streetsblog USA

Close-up of HYBRID logo on back of black car.

Hybrids Regain in Popularity Amid EV Cost and and Charging Concerns

After their sales dropped thanks to the introduction of all-electric vehicles, hybrid gas-electric cars are seeing a renaissance among consumers.

October 8, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

Fast paced scene with people bike and cars at the busy intersection of 14th Street and 5th Avenue in New York City.

When it Comes to Transportation, It’s All About Options

Debunking the notion of the personal automobile as liberator.

September 21, 2023 - Strong Towns

View from below of row of parked trucks in lot

Carzilla: How Huge SUVs and Trucks Hurt Pedestrians and Walkable Communities

Ever wonder where the supersizing of cars is going to end? Kaid Benfield dives deep into the subject and suggests five actions we can take to get to a safer spot in the road.

May 8, 2023 - PlaceShakers

Cars on highway in Colorado with snow-capped mountains in background

How Vehicle Ownership Impacts Roadway Design

New research assesses the potential implications of reduced car ownership on the design of roads and communities.

February 21, 2023 - The Washington Post

People in crosswalk with blurred fast car passing in foreground

Zero to Deadly: How More Powerful Cars Endanger Lives

With cars accelerating more quickly, drivers have less time to react and can pose more danger to pedestrians.

January 10, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

Portland Street

What Is Automobile Dependency?

Automobile dependency is a term used to describe households who must rely on private vehicles for everyday transportation, often due to a lack of safe pedestrian infrastructure, ineffective or absent public transit options, and sprawl.

May 3, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

Texas Apartment Construction

What the Microchip Shortage Reveals About Housing

The microchip shortage facing the automotive industry illustrates the significant impact that supply has on the cost of durable goods.

January 26, 2022 - Slowboring.com

South Mall Parking Lot

Progressive Political Support Sought for Parking Reforms

Despite mounting evidence that parking requirements subsidize cars, raise the cost of housing, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, few policymakers have strongly advocated to end them.

January 24, 2022 - StreetsBlog NYC

Tesla

Tesla's 'Aggressive' Autonomous Mode Facilitates Lawbreaking

Some Tesla autonomous modes direct the vehicle to engage in dangerous and illegal behaviors, prompting calls for increased regulation of autonomous vehicle tech.

January 19, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Electric Cars

Hybrid Car Sales Fail to Meet Predictions

Over a decade ago, automakers predicted that every new car would be a hybrid by 2020. Why were they so off the mark?

September 2, 2021 - Vice

Climate Change

Vote for 'America's Most Toxic Car Commercial'

From the same website that brought us the "Parking Crater Award" and the "Sorriest Bus Stops in America."

August 23, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Saint Paul Minnesota

St. Paul Does Away With Minimum Parking Requirements

The city is one of the first in the nation to completely eliminate parking mandates citywide.

August 23, 2021 - St. Paul Pioneer Press

Cars

It's Time For A National VMT Fee Policy

Op-ed: Charging road users by how much they drive, not how much gas they buy, is the only sustainable way forward for infrastructure funding.

August 4, 2021 - Next City

Trick Biker

Sunday Fun: The Bicycle Powered Car

Mounting a tandem bike to the front of a Honda to generate the power to operate the car has never looked so fun.

June 20, 2021 - Life OD via YouTube

San Francisco Parking

The Parking Disaster

Minimum parking requirements, argues Michael Manville, raise the cost of construction and eat up valuable urban real estate.

May 23, 2021 - The Atlantic

Traffic Safety Advocates

Zero Traffic Deaths Isn't as Far Fetched as It Sounds

Even supporters of Vision Zero—a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities from roadways adopted by cities and states all over the United States—doubt that such lofty ambitions are possible. But there are plenty of reasons to believe in the cause.

March 15, 2021 - Angie Schmitt

Street Traffic

Despite Stay-at-Home Orders, U.S. Traffic Deaths Rose in 2020

Dangerous behaviors picked up during the early, low-traffic days of the pandemic are partly to blame.

February 2, 2021 - The Washington Post

Interior of taxi with driver in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Riding in Cars with COVID-19

Research suggests maximizing airflow during shared car rides vastly reduces the risk of transmission.

January 28, 2021 - The New York Times

Cars Ride Disneyland

U.S. Car Prices Cross the $40,000 Threshold

Car prices have been going for a while, but even by recent standards a December jump in car prices is likely to be an outlier.

January 17, 2021 - Road Show

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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