United States, California

Transit Use is Growing, But Not Where You Think

Transit saw some big ridership increases over the past few years, but maybe not where you'd expect. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the top ten metropolitan areas where transit use has increased the most.

19 November 2009 - 9:00am

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From Policy to Implementation, CNU Transportation Summit Examines "The Greatest Place"

Mike Lydon reports from the CNU Transportation Summit in Portland, Oregon, the country's laboratory of smart growth. "Change is imminent," says Congressman Earl Blumenauer via video.

16 November 2009 - 9:43am

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Checklists to Rethink the Streetspace

Remaking streets into attractive and successful places can be a challenge. But following a few straightforward checklists can simplify the process. Amber Hawkes and Georgia Sheridan guide the way, in this final article in their series on Remaking the Streetspace.

16 November 2009 - 5:00am

Planning for Sustainability in New York City

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is both a local challenge and a global imperative, says Rohit Aggarwala, the director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability for New York City. Nate Berg caught up with Aggarwala to talk about his office's sustainability plans and the possible dangers posed by federal intervention.

9 November 2009 - 10:00am

Boomburb Growth Must Go Up, Not Out, To Retain Viability

As reported here, many boomburbs have ceased growing, if only temporarily. Streetsblog notes that experts are suggesting that in order to maintain their economic viability, these fast growing communities will have to, gasp, become more urban in form

23 November 2009 - 12:00pm

SF.Streetsblog

Denser Neighborhoods Could Save Bay Area $31 Billion

Walkable, transit-accessible neighborhoods do more than just lower greenhouse gas emissions of their residents - they save them money too, states a new report, "Windfall for All", from the Bay Area's TransForm, a coalition of over 100 non-profits.

23 November 2009 - 11:00am

Sacramento Business Journal

Broad Plan to Reshape San Francisco's Skyline

Planners in San Francisco are proposing a 145-acre "transit center district" that would dramatically reshape the city's skyline.

23 November 2009 - 6:00am

San Francisco Chronicle

Brand-New Offramp Must Be Torn Down, Rebuilt

In Bakersfield, California contractors nearly completed a highway offramp when it was decided the grade was too steep and last-minute exiters might flip over. Parsons Brinkerhoff has agreed to eat the cost of rebuilding.

22 November 2009 - 9:00am

KGET.com

Booming Burbs Stop Growing

Areas like Bellevue, Washington and Coral Springs, Florida have grown by 10% or more every decade since the 1970s. Today, these suburban communities are actually losing people.

21 November 2009 - 1:00pm

USA Today

Making Government Data Sexy

A flood of government data is going public, but on its own it is relatively boring and useless. A flood of new data visualization tools are hoping to change that.

21 November 2009 - 11:00am

CNN

Banks Brace for Onslaught of "Zombie Buildings"

Many of the thousands of commercial buildings erected on easy credit before the economic downturn remain underutilized or empty. Now those loans are coming due.

21 November 2009 - 9:00am

Huffington Post

Alternative Fuels Won't Change the Expense of Driving

One of the conclusions of a new study in the San Francisco Bay Area is that switching to electric and alternative fuel cars won't reduce the burden on households because ownership is the most significant expense. Thus, density is the only way out.

20 November 2009 - 12:00pm

Streetsblog San Francisco

Not Just About Jobs

When then-Pres. Bush signed a transportation bill in 1991, he said it 'could be summed up in three words; jobs, jobs, jobs. Bruce Katz and Robert Puentes of Brookings say that infrastructure spending is much more than that.

20 November 2009 - 11:00am

The Hill

HSR Too Slow? Blame CEQA

The California High Speed Rail Blog says that the biggest obstacle to building HSR in California isn't the cost, but a number of problems with the planning process, especially the California Environmental Quality Act.

19 November 2009 - 2:00pm

California High Speed Rail Blog

Cycling: It's About Individualism?

In this op-ed, Verlyn Klinkenborg posits that cycling, at least on the Stanford campus, is more about asserting one's identity than anything else.

19 November 2009 - 11:00am

The New York Times

Huge San Francisco Redevelopment Project Underway

It's the largest redevelopment project since the great earthquake of 1906: 702 acres, 10,500 residential units, a shipyard brownfield cleanup, and a new stadium (hopefully) for the 49ers. The Environmental Impact Report has just been released.

19 November 2009 - 9:00am

San Francisco Chronicle

The Problem With Thinking Regionally

Carol Coletta is a believer in the new emphasis in regional government, but worries that it may be at the expense of the local.

19 November 2009 - 7:00am

GOOD Magazine

Rethinking Sixty Years of Sprawl

There's no looking back now in the shift away from suburbs to a more sustainable urban model, writes Andre Shashaty, president of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

19 November 2009 - 5:00am

Salon.com

More Passengers And Less Funding Threaten To Cripple Transit Agencies

The recession has made many commuters more transit-dependent while shrinking the public coffers that may for the bulk of transit service. Without further subsidies, agencies face tough choices because of this "incredible paradox."

18 November 2009 - 2:00pm

InTransition Magazine