Infrastructure

The Historical Foundation of America's Transit Disinvestment

The other day, a new Shinkansen bullet line was added in Japan, the first to operate high-speed rail in 1964. The U.S. has yet to build is first line. More troubling is the decay we've seen in the relatively new metro lines, like D.C. Metro and BART.

April 7, 2016 - The Conversation

Berkeley Releases Resilience Plan

Berkeley's Resilience Strategy is one of the first in the nation, and one of the first work products of the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cites network.

April 7, 2016 - Berkeley Patch

Report: Increase Gas Tax to Solve Illinois' $43 Billion Transportation Problem

There's good news and bad news in a new report on the state of transportation infrastructure in the state of Illinois.

April 6, 2016 - Chi.Streetsblog

Coal Industry: Down but Not Out

It's easy to focus on the shrinking market share and layoffs in the coal industry and see the demise of the industry, but construction of new coal burning power plants is still booming in countries like China and India.

April 5, 2016 - Vox

A Reversal of Direction for TransCanada

TransCanada, the company that hoped to build a Canada-to-Gulf Coast pipeline, now wants to build one to carry Bakken oil from North Dakota to Canada, transporting oil now hauled only by trains that have caused recent deadly explosions.

April 5, 2016 - The Bismarck Tribune

California Scaling Back Controversial Delta Tunnels Plans

The planning process has revealed more modest potential benefits for the highly controversial proposal to spend $15 billion on tunnels to ease environmental strain on the Bay Delta.

April 4, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

How High is Too High for Transportation Sales Taxes?

Sales taxes are regressive, but unlike the gas tax, they bear no relationship to transportation. Should a November transportation ballot measure pass, sales taxes in three cities in the county of Los Angeles would exceed 10 percent.

April 4, 2016 - KPCC

Rockville Pike

Op-Ed: An 18-Lane Street Is Too Complete

Rockville, Maryland has plans to create a king-sized complete street along Rockville Pike, incorporating lanes for cars, bikes, buses, and more space for landscaping. But can a street like that still serve pedestrians?

April 3, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Hokkaido Shinkansen Now in Service

As of Saturday, Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, was connected to Tokyo by the newest addition to Japan's iconic Shinkansen bullet trains. The 513-mile route includes 33.4 miles in "the world's deepest operational main-line rail tunnel."

March 31, 2016 - The Telegraph

Chicago's 'Current' Initiative: A Public-Private Partnership to Solve Water Challenges

Chicago has set lofty goals to become a leader in the next-generation technology and infrastructure of the global future.

March 31, 2016 - World Business Chicago

D.C. Officials: Metro Closures Could Span Six Months

Just a single day with D.C. Metro was bad, but it's possible the closures were just getting started.

March 31, 2016 - The Washington Post

Saving Coastal Cities from Climate Change

A new whitepaper outlines solutions for improving the resiliency and sustainability of coastal cities around the world—using Red Hook, Brooklyn as a case study.

March 29, 2016 - BASF Corporation

Benchmarks: Places on the Move Measure Up

All Planetizen readers should read the full 200-page Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2016 Benchmarking Report. If you haven't taken the time yet, Hazel Borys shares some of the best bits.

March 29, 2016 - PlaceShakers

New York Subway

New York Subway Service Lags as Ridership Grows

Increasing ridership, coupled with decreasing service, means a very crowded subway system in New York City.

March 29, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

A Detroit Design School Seeks a Seat at the Table

Academic institutions can play a major role in enriching the communities they operate in. Amy Deines, interim dean of the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University in Detroit, discusses the city and school's trajectory.

March 28, 2016 - Doggerel

Honolulu Rail Transit

Honolulu Rail Transit Makes Progress Despite Financial Woes

Honolulu Rail Transit, a 20-mile, elevated metro rail line, continues to suffer cost overruns and has lost popular support, according to a recent poll. But the tide could change with the arrival of the first rail cars.

March 28, 2016 - The New York Times

Seattle Light Rail Construction

New Details on Seattle's $50 Billion Light Rail Plan

The campaign for the Sound Transit 3 ballot initiative is underway in Seattle, after local officials released a draft plan that charts a $50 billion build out of light rail in the region.

March 27, 2016 - The Seattle Times

Stormwater Permits Create Funding Problems for SoCal Cities

The MS4 Permit was designed as a way to clean up urban stormwater runoff in Southern California. Many of the smaller cities in the region, however, are struggling to pay the bill to cover the permits costs.

March 27, 2016 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Canada Ready to Renegotiate Critical Columbia River Treaty

The U.S. and Canada have come to an agreement that it's time to renegotiate a treaty that governs the management of dams and water along the Columbia River—one of the largest rivers on the continent.

March 27, 2016 - The Tyee

China High Speed Rail

U.S. Won Space Race but Lost High Speed Rail Race

The U.S. ranked 19 out of 20 for countries with high speed rail service according to a new survey by GoEuro.

March 27, 2016 - Grist

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.

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