Transportation Engineering

Bird-s eye view of multi-lane road intersection with medians and crosswalks.

Opinion: What American Transportation Engineering Gets Wrong

And how transportation decisions could more effectively prioritize safety.

March 13, 2024 - Streetsblog San Francisco

An aerial view of a park and the streets and high-rises of Downtown Omaha.

Downtown Omaha Planning for its Post-One-Way-Streets Era

The Omaha City Council has decided to reverse the transportation model adopted in the city in the 1950s, for the benefit of traffic safety and local retail activity.

June 9, 2023 - KETV

Wide shot of bridge overpasses under construction at the intersection of GA 400 and I-285 on July 22, 2019 in Atlanta, GA.

Atlanta Regional Planners Adopt ‘Safe System’ Approach to Transportation

A new Road Safety Strategy was recently adopted by the Atlanta Regional Commission with a promise to create “a comprehensive framework and action plan to support the long-term safety vision and goals” of the region.

March 22, 2023 - SaportaReport

Congestion

Redesigning Streets for Livability: A Global View

An excerpt from the introduction of the recent book, “Streets For All: 50 Strategies for Shaping Resilient Cities,” edited by Vinayak Bharne and Shyam Khandekar.

January 18, 2023 - Vinayak Bharne

A police officer directs traffic as fire trucks arrive on scene along a street with green painted bike lanes.

Washington State Moving Ahead With Complete Streets

Move Ahead Washington, a law approved by the Washington State Legislature earlier this year, is expected to have a huge effect on transportation planning and engineering on state-controlled roads.

September 5, 2022 - The Urbanist

One of the "Guardians of Traffic" in Cleveland, a scuplture of a large figure adorning a bridge in Cleveland. Downtown Cleveland is in the background.

Cleveland Ready for Vision Zero

Cleveland is working to become the latest U.S. city to set a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities.

August 30, 2022 - The Plain Dealer

Traffic Safety

Cities Call Out States for Blocking Traffic Safety Progress

The National League of Cities went to Congress and called on states to stop focusing on vehicle throughput and start prioritizing traffic safety.

June 15, 2022 - Route Fifty

Chicago Commute

Planning for Congestion Relief

The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

May 12, 2022 - James Brasuell

Congestion

What Is LOS?

Level of Service (LOS) defines how well vehicle traffic flows along a street or road. LOS is one of the most influential metrics in planning, with critical relevance for both land use and transportation planning.

April 27, 2022 - James Brasuell

Congestion versus mobility

How Planning Fails to Solve Congestion

Solutions for congestion are never as simple and easy as armchair planners and engineers would like you to believe—especially those who suggest that congestion can be solved by forever building more roadway capacity.

April 20, 2022 - James Brasuell

Congestion

Planning and the Complicated Causes and Effects of Congestion

What do planners know about congestion, and what can they do about it? Explanations and solutions are less obvious than they seem (part one of a three-part series).

April 13, 2022 - James Brasuell

Adams Morgan pedestrian zone during COVID-19 pandemic

The Most Complete Map of U.S. Pedestrian Risk Yet

New research published by the Journal of Transport and Land Use analyzes tens of thousands of pedestrian fatalities over 16 years in the United States.

July 20, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Traffic Fatality Demographics

U.S. Traffic Fatalities Increased Most for Black Americans During the Pandemic

Two new reports confirm the racial disparities of traffic violence in the United States, revealing more proof about who stayed home during the pandemic, and who was forced to navigate the risks of the pandemic in public.

June 22, 2021 - CNN Business

City Kids

The 5 Worst Streets in Seattle

Want to know which streets are most likely to produce a negative emotional response among Seattle transportation safety advocates? Read on.

June 13, 2021 - The Stanger

Street Traffic

Latest Traffic Safety Data Adds Grim Death Count to an Already Tragic Year

The public health epidemic created by dangerous roads, dangerous cars, and dangerous drivers was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

June 8, 2021 - Curbed

Yield Sign

Strong Towns Takes Licensing Challenges to Court

For a second time, Charles Marohn is facing a challenge from the engineering profession over his work as the founder of the popular advocacy organization Strong Towns. This time, Marohn and Strong Towns are pushing back.

May 25, 2021 - Strong Towns

Downtown Seattle

I-5 Widening Kicks Off in Downtown Seattle

Congestion relief is promised as the Washington Department of Transportation begins to rework the existing I-5 roadway in Downtown Seattle to mitigate a stretch of freeway with a reputation as the state's worst bottleneck.

May 18, 2021 - The Seattle Times

Kids on the Street

Pedestrian Safety Still Not a Priority in the United States

Dangerous by Design 2021 quantifies the transportation sector's ongoing neglect of the health and safety of people performing that basic human action of taking a walk.

March 10, 2021 - Smart Growth USA

Pedestrian Infrastructure

Resources for Safe, Convenient Pedestrian and Bike Infrastructure

Despite the stated goals of state and federal agencies to encourage active modes of transportation, there's still a long way to go to make sure that all cities and communities have safe, convenient sidewalks and bike lanes.

January 17, 2021 - National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine

Diverging diamond interchange in Springfield, Missouri.

Diverging Diamond Interchange Puts Drivers on the Left Side of the Road

The unusual design improves traffic flow and reduces the danger of head-on collisions as cars enter the I-5 freeway.

January 5, 2021 - Seattle Times

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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Planning apps for a brave new world.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.