Infrastructure
Smart Meters and AI take on Electrical Grid Load Forecasting
With the recent development of IoT, smart meter technology, and advanced weather forecasts by machine learning, we have the ability to analyze usage and load patterns and estimate future needs to help balance the electricity grid.
Light Rail From Durham to Orange Finds Final Funding Piece
Planners behind a new 17-mile light rail system that will connect the cities and employers in the Research Triangle in North Carolina overcame a change of funding plans by the state.
Tar Sands Oil Just Lost Another Outlet, For Now
It was viewed as a "David vs. Goliath" pipeline fight: the city of South Portland, Maine against a pipeline company backed by Big Oil. The city had passed a zoning ordinance preventing the export of oil which would have impacted public health.
'Rebuilding California': Controversy Over Signs Telling People Their Tax Dollars Are at Work
Caltrans says signs on transportation projects are nothing more than a useful way to show taxpayers that gas tax funds are being put to good use. But not everyone agrees.
Arizona Revisits Plans for Withdrawing Water Reserves
Arizona has excelled at storing water in preparation for future droughts. The challenge now is how cities will access that water when they need it.
Bridge Closure Will Reroute Traffic in St. Louis for a Year
The Martin Luther King's daily trip load has been greatly lessened by the opening of the Stan Musial Memorial Bridge in 2014, but all the drivers currently using the bridge will have to find another way to go.
Maybe 'Bike Lanes' Should Be Called 'Narrow Lanes' Instead
With the popularity of electric scooters, it seems like non-automobile travel is gaining a large new constituency. Making room for scooters raises big questions of infrastructure that might not be answered first by nomenclature.
One Year After Harvey, Voters Approve $2.5 Billion Stormwater Infrastructure Bond
Eighty-five percent of voters supported the largest bond in Harris County history over the weekend.
Denver's Regional Transportation District Cuts Bus Service
Low ridership and driver shortages mean the Denver area's Regional Transportation District cut bus service.
The Many Benefits of Wandering Through Cities on Foot
Forget the countryside. Urban walking helps people understand their cities while at the same time encouraging urban landscapes where people actually want to walk.
The Role of Urban Planners in Flood Preparation
Blogger Kayla Matthews examines the many challenges planners face in preparing for the extreme weather and flooding caused by climate change.
Baltimore Municipal Bike Share Ends; Private Bike Share Pilot Begins
Dockless electric scooters and bikes are welcome on the streets of Baltimore, as long as they follow a few rules. In related news, the municipal bike share system Baltimore Bike Share has ceased operations.
Report: L Train Closure Finally Impacting the Brooklyn Real Estate Market
The New York MTA is planning to shut down the L Train from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 2019, and renters in the area no longer find the area along the route as attractive.
Transit Shelter Modernization Plan on the Shelf in Seattle
Transit advocates thought a public-private partnership to modernize transit shelters and enhance the public realm was a done deal.
The Feds Finally Come Through for Albuquerque Rapid Transit
The city of Albuquerque has finally received the $75 million it needed to complete an ambitious plan for electric bus rapid transit along Central Avenue.
The Landscape Architect’s Guide to Sustainable Transportation
How to design a transit system that is safe, green, and beautiful.
Friday Fun: Ceci N’est Pas une Rue
When allowing a crowd to decide the name of something important, make sure to add a layer of self-control.
Working to Include Equity Along the Atlanta BeltLine
The tax allocation district set up to capture development value created by the Atlanta BeltLine has fallen short of its intended goals for creating and preserving affordable housing.
Transit Industry Leadership Expresses Optimism About Meeting Upcoming Safety Deadlines
With a year-end deadline approaching, reports indicate progress by agencies and optimism that vulnerable systems will meet this year’s requirements.
The Minneapolis Plan to Tame Dockless Bike Sharing
A new dockless expansion will grow the city’s bikeshare network but without the disorder that has plagued ventures in other cities.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
