I occasionally have speculated that our aging society would lead to increased transit ridership, as seniors lost the ability to drive. But I recently discovered that seniors are actually less likely to use public transit than the general public. One study by the American Public Transit Association showed that 6.7% of transit riders are over 65 (as opposed to 12.4% of all Americans).(1) The oldest Americans are even more underrepresented on America's buses and trains: only 1.5% of transit riders are over 80, about half their share of the population (2). The only other age group that is underrepresented on public transit is Americans under 18.
Transportation
Top 10 Websites - 2012
Our annual list of the 10 best planning, design, and development websites represents some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.
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Remaking Chicago as a Complete Region, Not Just a Global Node
After a decade of slow growth and missed opportunities, Scott Bernstein and Kyle Smith, of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, offer a "back to the future" scenario for revitalizing Chicago as a complete region, based on targeted and prioritized reinvestment in the city's underutilized transportation assets.
Egypt's Social Media Takes On New Foe: Cairo's Traffic
After aiding in the dissolution of Egypt's authoritarian regime, social media is being enlisted to tackle a more formidable obstacle: easing its capital city's traffic, reports Noel King.
Good
L.A. Gets a New Set of Wheels
In The New York Times, Adam Nagourney chronicles the rise of bicycle culture in a city defined for decades by its cars, but with a climate perfectly suited to non-motorized transportation.
The New York Times
Bus Stop of the Future Unveilied in Paris
On his Human Transit blog, transit planner Jarrett Walker brings us images and a description of a "bus stop of the future" for the streets of Paris, designed by Marc Aurel.
Human Transit
Another Crucial NYC Rail Link Gets Delayed
Champions of an ambitious ongoing project to provide a rail link for Long Island Rail Road trains to the East Side of Manhattan got a dose of bad news this week, as it was announced the project is facing significant delays and cost overruns.
The New York Times
Biking Saves Billions
A new study released on Friday, coinciding with National Bike to Work Day, finds that bicyclists in the United States save at least $4.6 billion a year by riding instead of driving, reports Tanya Mohn.
Forbes
Is Public Transit Addictive?
Recent studies seem to indicate that public transportation is habit-forming, and, as Brad Plumer notes, that may not be a good thing.
The Washington Post
Can a City Have Too Much Transportation Network?
Yonah Freemark critiques a planned expansion to Dallas' already-extensive highway network, arguing that it undermines billions of dollars in light rail investment and sets its downtown on a path of stunted growth.
the transport politic
How to Resuscitate a Foundering Transit System
Stephen Lee Davis investigates a campaign by Baton Rouge community groups to revive its bus service as it teetered on the brink of collapse.
Transportation for America
History Repeats Itself in California Infrastructure Debate
As the Golden Gate Bridge approaches its 75th anniversary, John King pens an incisive comparison between the arguments against the bridge's original construction and those that have challenged subsequent high-profile projects.
San Francisco Chronicle
Are Electric Cable Cars the Future of Trucking?
John Metcalfe explores a new kind of hybrid vehicle that could revolutionize trucking and cut down air contaminants in one of the most polluted regions in the country.
The Atlantic Cities
Quality of Place Trumps Density, says Richard Florida
Ten years after publishing of The Rise of the Creative Class, the prominent city-booster says high-rises are “vertical suburbs” and we need “urban environments that stir the spirit.”
Better! Cities & Towns
How Tokyo Gets Transportation Right
As a New Yorker visiting Tokyo, Eric Jaffe set out to keep a scorecard comparing his home city's transportation infrastructure with that of the Japanese capital. He found that the score wasn't even close.
The Atlantic Cities
How Bikes Are Changing Our Urban and Social Spaces
In honor of national Bike to Work Day, we post an article by Jason Severs looking at the ways in which the bicycle - "the next great technology platform" - is changing our physical environment and social interactions.
The Atlantic
What Will It Take to Make the Electric Car Affordable?
Even as auto manufacturers roll out bigger, better technology for electric vehicles, high production costs – particularly from battery manufacturers – are keeping sales figures low, Tim Fernholz reports.
Good
Quick Fixes for Transit Safety
Transit rider and Good reporter, Alissa Walker, describes some simple solutions for making transit safer.
Good
New Urbanists Duke it Out With Mayor Over Expressway Conversion
"We should not let the lame be the enemy of the perfectly adequate," says one critic of the New Haven mayor's proposal.
Better! Cities & Towns
Toward a Universal Subway Typology
Brandon Keim explores the fascinating findings detailed in a new paper, which shows that the world’s major subway systems appear to be organically converging on an ideal form.
Wired Science
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- Egypt's Social Media Takes On New Foe: Cairo's Traffic
- L.A. Gets a New Set of Wheels
- Bus Stop of the Future Unveilied in Paris
- The Best of the World's Street Art
- Another Crucial NYC Rail Link Gets Delayed
- Are Planners Responsible for Public Health?
- Explaining America's Great Inversion
- Is Corporate Sponsorship the Solution to Budget Shortfalls?
- City Mouse Takes Exception to Country Mouse
- Biking Saves Billions
Transit and seniors -- Michael Lewyn
"Willingness and Ability" as Drivers of Community Development -- Charles Buki
Choosing Ignorance is Stupid -- Todd Litman
Urban Design Graduate Study for Planners -- Ann Forsyth
Does Twitter Support a Better Global Urbanism? -- Brent Toderian
Make Plans For Upcoming Summer Seminars with UCLA Extension Public Policy
UCLA Extension
May 21, 2012
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