Transportation

Scramble Tokyo

Engineers Scramble for Pedestrian Safety in Los Angeles and Santa Monica

A "good news" story for pedestrians emerges from the streets of Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Traffic signals at heavily used pedestrian intersections have been reengineered to add a 'scramble phase' and the results are startling.

October 2, 2016 - NBC Los Angeles

Driveway Parking Garage

Today in the New Economy: Driveway-Sharing Apps

Two start-ups promise L.A. drivers on-demand parking and electric vehicle charging.

October 2, 2016 - KPCC

Landmark Agreement Reached to Increase New Jersey Gas Tax by 23 Cents

A day after a fatal NJ Transit train crash at the Hoboken Terminal, Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic leaders of the legislature announced the agreement to raise the tax by 159 percent; the first increase to the *14.5-cent tax since 1990.

October 2, 2016 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Empty Parking Lot

How Cities Are Slimming Down on Parking

Cities around the world are finding ways to go on a parking diet, freeing up unused space. San Francisco and Philadelphia are two U.S. leaders, while cities like Paris, Copenhagen, and Zurich pursue even more aggressive measures.

October 2, 2016 - The Guardian

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Planning Two Big New Bike Lane Projects

A city already known for its livability is ready to add new bike lanes in high profile locations.

October 1, 2016 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Transit Ridership

New York Adding Transit Jobs at Rapid Rate

Even as other middle class jobs disappear, the transportation sector continues to grow.

October 1, 2016 - Next City

Drive Thru

Are Drive-Thru Stores Appropriate For Walkable Neighborhoods?

Anthony Morando of New York's Cuddy & Feder LLP offers an opinion that drive-thru uses like fast food stores and pharmacies can co-exist in walkable communities. Examples given of drive-thru stores that have been designed to be contextually sensitive

September 30, 2016 - Modern Cities

Cars

White House Announces New Wave of 'Smart Cities Initiative' Funding

The Obama Administration is offering another $80 million in funding to test new transportation technologies.

September 30, 2016 - Next City

Hawaii

Hawaii to Embark on Nation's Largest Mileage Fee Demonstration Program

Unlike the more limited Oregon and California road usage charge programs currently in operation, Hawaii's program envisions over one million motorists participating in the demonstration program.

September 30, 2016 - AASHTO Journal

New York Street

How Far Can You Take Complete Streets?

8th Avenue was one of New York’s first "complete streets." Coined in 2003, the term refers to including cars, pedestrians, bikers, and public transit into city thoroughfares instead of prioritizing cars. Today, the trend is growing to other cities.

September 30, 2016 - Doggerel

Old Man Cyclist

Friday Funny: Some Cyclists Hand Signal Better Than Others

The satirical website The Onion once again casts its gaze on the habits of cyclists.

September 30, 2016 - The Onion

Washington D.C. - The White House

Planetizen Week in Review: September 30, 2016

Welcome, President Obama, to the NIMBY wars.

September 30, 2016 - Planetizen

Terrifying Train Crash at Hoboken Terminal on Thursday Leaves One Dead

Disaster struck New Jersey Transit commuters at 8:38 AM on Sept. 29 when train #1614 failed to stop at the end ot the track and slammed into the wall, then the ceiling of the historic station, killing at least one person and injuring up to 100.

September 29, 2016 - CNBC

I-5 Widening

Critiquing the $1.9 Billion Project to Widen I-5 in Los Angeles County

Streetsblog slams Caltrans for wasting $1.9 billion on futile freeway widening projects.

September 29, 2016 - LA.Streetsblog

Mexico Border

Tale of Two Cities: A U.S.-Mexico Bike Trail

Election rhetoric aside, towns on the U.S.-Mexico border share common urban challenges. A proposal is in the works to connect Brownsville, Texas and the Mexican city of Matamoros via bike path.

September 29, 2016 - CityLab

Ghost Bike

Commercial Vehicles Are No Match for Bike Safety

All six bicyclists killed in Chicago this year had something in common: commercial vehicles. Still missing from the discussion: what to do about it.

September 29, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Commute

Commuting in America 2015

Is commuting Deplorable? Can we Make Commuting Great Again? It is sometimes necessary to resort to hyperbole to draw attention to real data.

September 28, 2016 - Steven Polzin

Moynihan Train Hall

New York Has Plan to Make Room for Penn Station Renovations

With more than 600,000 daily commuters passing through, Penn Station is one of the busiest transit halls in the Western Hemisphere. Finally, there's a plan in place to make necessary repairs without making the commute even more unbearable.

September 28, 2016 - The New York Times

Melbourne

Jan Gehl on the Politics of Transforming Cities

Advancing the politics of public transportation and public spaces is not easy. Danish architect Jan Gehl and his firm Gehl Architects, however, have a track record of success with cities around the world.

September 28, 2016 - Lily Song

Gas Pump

Unable or Unwilling to Hike Gas Taxes, Illinois and New Jersey Go to Voters

However, neither state will ask voters to increase the gas tax. Instead, they ask voters to assure that gas tax and other transportation-derived revenues are spent on transportation. Neither state has raised the tax in over 25 years.

September 27, 2016 - Governing

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.