As planners, one of our roles is to help stretch the scope of what is considered possible. For example, between 1950 and 2000 most development was highly automobile-dependent, based on the assumption that almost all travel would be by personal automobile and other modes were relatively unimportant. This pattern is so well established that many people have difficulty imagining anything different. It is useful to help people understand the full range of options available, from automobile dependency to carfree communities.
Transportation
Where Will We All Park? A Slightly Premature Case Study of Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey's Department of Transportation and Parking Director Ian Sacs offers this profile of his city and discusses how the dense but car-enamored city is trying to tackle the contemporary urban parking problem.
Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives
Planetizen talks with Anne Lutz Fernandez, author of the new book Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives, about how Americans feel about their cars, the Starbucks Effect, and the built environment.
New High-Speed Rail in China
A new 350kph train connecting Zhengzhou and Xi'an debuted Saturday, cutting a 6 hour train ride down to less than 2 hours.
China Daily
The State of Happiness
A new study ranks the U.S. states by residents' happiness. From Louisiana (#1) to New York (#51), the happiest people tend to live in sunny, outdoorsy states with strong quality of life measures.
USA Today
Transportation On Parade
Washington County, Utah invites the public once a year to see what transportation projects are in the works and talk to planners and engineers. The meet-and-greet has proved highly popular and a way for information to flow both ways.
The Spectrum and Daily News
DOT, HUD and EPA All Trumpet Smart Growth
Anthony Flint reports from the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, where the Feds all spoke about coordinating at the federal level to implement smart growth policies.
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy blog
NYC's "Bus of the Future" Debuts On Bronx BRT Route
What's good for the Bronx turns out to be good for upstate NY. In this case, a Plattsburgh bus manufacturer has received the first orders for what is promoted as the "bus of the future of NYC transit": 3-doors, articulated, low-floor, & low emission.
Second Ave. Sagas
New Books Depict Car Culture at a Turning Point
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 07:26
Crash Course: The American Automobile Industry's Road from Glory to Disaster
By Paul Ingrassia
Random House, 306 pages, $32
Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and its Effect on Our Lives
By Catherine Lutz and Anne Lutz Fernandez
Palgrave, 272 pages, $34
Automobiles dominate our economies, our cities and our popular culture. As these new titles make abundantly apparent, they also tend to imbue their makers and owners with either delusions or arrogance that can lead to dangerously misguided decision-making, both behind the wheel and in corporate boardrooms.
Saving Money By Converting Asphalt to Gravel
In an effort to cut transportation maintenance costs, some cities are ditching their asphalt roads and going back to gravel.
USA Today
Why not rail?
Sun, 02/07/2010 - 13:03
When faced with the costs and logistics of rail, planners and city officials increasingly seem to favor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), a trend likely to continue through the current recession. But even with the many persuasive arguments for BRT, the nagging question remains: why not rail?
L.A. to Extend Light Rail
Transportation officials in Los Angeles have approved the extension of one of the city's light rail lines out to Santa Monica. The new 7-mile link will connect the oceanside town to downtown L.A.
Los Angeles Times
Fighting Obesity With Traffic Calming
The latest news in the impact of the built environment on health: A new study says that children who live within 150 meters of congested roads have higher body mass indexes than kids that do not.
Streetsblog
Hopping the HSR to Future Detroit
America 2050 releases a new video imagining what a commute in future Detroit could look like, including car sharing, high-speed rail, and a light rail connector.
America 2050
Experts Predict NYC Will (Re)Try Congestion Pricing
In April, 2008, the state assembly rejected Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan. In this recent panel, the experts agree that the revenue the project would have produced for improving city transportation infrastructure is vital to its future.
Streetsblog
Paying Toll at a Tollbooth? There's An App For That
Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) is about to test run a system where drivers can pay their toll using only their iPhone, Blackberry, or MS Windows Mobile-enabled phone.
TOLLROADSnews
Portland's Pricey Bike Plan
The City of Portland is considering its 2030 Bike Plan today. Some question whether the $613 million price tag is worthwhile.
The Oregonian
Comparing Five of The Nation's Biggest Transit Systems
GOOD takes a look at five of the nation's biggest public transit systems and compares their ridership, average speeds, and average miles per trip.
Good
American High Speed Rail: Transportation and Jobs
The Infrastructurist's Melissa Lafsky is on Fox Business to discuss the prospect of high speed rail in America -- both in terms of transportation and jobs.
Fox Business
