It has been two months since I completed my first year of the Master of City Planning at MIT. Returning home to Baltimore, I felt exhausted from the rigors of the program, accomplished because of the mere fact that I completed a year of said program, and enlightened by the many class discussions, projects and experiences that I enjoyed – and not enjoyed – during the school year. I also returned to Baltimore excited about the project that I would work on as a Mayoral Fellow in the Department of Transportation.
Transit
The Planetizen News Brief - 8/27/09
4:45 minutes (4.36 MB)
States reach out for rail money, HUD tightens lending rules, and slum dwellers pin hopes for revival on summer blockbuster -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
Sprawling in Beijing
Beijing could be heading towards a sprawling future, according to a new report from the World Bank. Despite expanding transit options, the location of jobs is pushing more people out from the center of the city.
The New York Times Style Magazine
Friday Funny: Imposter Transit Official Arrested by FBI
A 20-year old Chicago man has been arrested by federal agents for imitating transit officials and repeatedly interfering with Chicago Transit Authority communications.
Chicago Breaking News Center
Real-Time Arrival Data Coming to Philadelphia Bus Riders
Philadelphia's public transit system is preparing to launch a new service that makes bus and train arrival times available to riders' handheld devices.
Plan Philly
The Cost of a Hypothetical High Speed Rail Line
Economist Edward L. Glaeser crunches the numbers on a hypothetical high speed rail line between Dallas and Houston and finds the costs prohibitive.
The New York Times
Free Bus Rides Coming to New York?
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced an idea to speed up buses in Manhattan by eliminating crosstown bus fares.
The New York Times
Stimulus Funds New Transit Projects, Doesn't Sustain Old Ones
The Obama administration has been touting its dedication of $48.1 billion in stimulus money to roads and transit projects. But it's all going towards new projects, not day-to-day operational needs.
The Nation
Illinois Approves $31 Billion Construction Plan
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a bill that will bring about $31 billion worth of road, transit and school construction projects.
Chicago Tribune
Combining Trails and Transit
Cities can expand transit service areas by providing convenient access by bike.
City Parks Blog
Cities Miffed As Transportation Funds Filter to Rural Areas
Less than half of the money set aside in the federal stimulus plan for transportation projects is going to cities, according to an analysis by The New York Times.
The New York Times
Comparing Subway Fares From Around the World
This post from Treehugger compares subway fares from around the world.
Treehugger
Majority of Stimulus Spent on Roads
States are spending the vast majority of federal stimulus money on building or repairing roads and highways, according to a new study.
Reuters
8 Republicans Bucking the Party on Climate Change and Transit
Reps. Mack (CA), Kirk (IL) and Reichert (WA) are among a small group of Republicans who voted for the recent climate change bill. It turns out these eight are also supporters of transit. Streetsblog makes the connection.
Streetsblog
Masterplanning the Architecture of the Near Future
As the population rises, underused and empty spaces are going to fill in. How well the transition works depends on shifts in demographics and infrastructure, as well as architecture. A studio of UCLA architecture students were asked to plot that transition. But before they could be architects, they had to be planners.
Transit Operating Aid in War Bill
House and Senate negotiators decided a $106 billion war bill, from which 10 percent would be granted to transit operating costs.
la.streetsblog.org
Commuter Buses Have Atlantans Fuming
Idling commuter buses in Atlanta cause air pollution and traffic congestion, and locals are getting fed up.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fewer Shoppers Driving into Downtown
Only 17% of shoppers in downtown San Francisco drove to get there, according to a new survey conducted by The San Francisco County Transportation Authority.
Streetsblog SF
Take a ride on the Scwebebahn
Tue, 05/26/2009 - 16:32
I’d been obsessed with it ever since I saw The Princess and
the Warrior. (Between that and the funicular in Flashdance,
there is just something about bad-ass chicks that commute via unique transit.)
So, when I found myself with an unexpected free morning in Essen, Germany, after especially
cooperative weather for photographing the day before, I hopped on the S-Bahn towards Wuppertal to
see the famed train.
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
