Infrastructure

Texas Central High-Speed Railway Reaches Funding Milestone

The Dallas-to-Houston project will be the first operating high speed rail line in the United States when it opens in 2021. The project received $75 million in private funding, allowing planning for the project to advance.

July 26, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

An Unexpected Advocate for Utah's Vehicle-Miles-Traveled Fee

One would expect the Utah Taxpayers Association to oppose county measures to increase general sales taxes by .25 percent to fund transportation programs, so their endorsement of an alternative revenue option, the mileage fee, is surprising.

July 25, 2015 - Utah Taxpayers Association

London Crowded Street

7 Principles for Designing Safe Cities

A World Research Institute report offers seven prescriptions for designing safer cities. At the top of the list: avoid sprawl.

July 24, 2015 - Motherboard

Selling the Nation's Strategic Assets to Fund Road Construction

What happened to the "strategic" in the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserves? As Politico reveals, heretofore these oil reserves have only been sold when the nation's oil supply was threatened. Republicans leaders now view the SPR as a cash cow.

July 24, 2015 - Politico

Three Days of Delays on Northeast Corridor for Amtrak and NJ Transit

Once again, chronic delays on New Jersey Transit's rail lines in and out of Manhattan serve as a reminder of Gov. Christie's ill fated decision to cancel replacement of the two aging Hudson River tunnels to Penn Station.

July 24, 2015 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Freeway Interchange

Friday Eye Candy: Freeway Interchanges From Far Above

High quality, high altitude images of that marvel of modern engineering: the freeway interchange.

July 24, 2015 - Politico Magazine

Pyongyang, North Korea Makes Room for Bike Lanes

It's easier to install bike lanes when the country is run by a dictator.

July 23, 2015 - Fast Co.Exist

Democrats Object to 'Bipartisan' Senate Transportation Reauthorization Bill

We look at what happened in the Senate on Tuesday when the six-year DRIVE Act, relying on a variety of non-user fee revenue mechanisms to finance the Highway Trust Fund shortfall for three years, failed a procedural vote, and where it goes next.

July 23, 2015 - The Washington Post

The Implications of Southeast Wisconsin's $7 Billion in Freeway Projects

Some people call it a road-building program. Others call it "an all out war on urbanism."

July 22, 2015 - Politico

Michigan House Stops Short of Gas Tax Hike Plan

The legislature came very close to approving a plan this session to pay for crumbling roads, but the haul in the Republican-controlled House proved too difficult—they adjourned without voting on the Senate plan that passed 20-19 on July 1.

July 22, 2015 - Detroit Free Press

Frisco, Texas Struggles to Coordinate Water, Electricity, and Road Upgrades

An age-old of question of infrastructure is up for debate in Frisco, Texas: whether the utility can bear the cost of running electricity lines under the ground.

July 21, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

House and Senate Republicans Differ on Must-Pass Transportation Funding Bills

The House passed their patch bill on July 15—it's now the Senate's turn at bat on highway funding. Both houses are controlled by Republicans but they appear to be pitching for different teams. A bill must pass by July 31 or road funding ceases.

July 20, 2015 - New York Times

SF Cable Cars

New Streetcar Line Set to Open August 1 in City by the Bay

As Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez of the San Francisco Examiner explains, the 'E' Line has only been over three decades in the making. Credit goes greatly to former mayor, now U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein, and the tireless work of committed advocates.

July 19, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

Proposed Developments Could Eliminate Oklahoma City's New Dedicated Bike Lane

A traffic study evaluating the impact of proposed developments in Downtown Oklahoma City recommends removing a newly opened dedicated bike lane and parking spots to make room for another traffic lane.

July 18, 2015 - The Oklahoman

5 Resilience Plans for the 21st Century

Resilience is one of the hottest buzzwords in contemporary planning, and planners in communities around the country are only beginning to realize the multiple benefits of the attention and funding devoted to resilience plans.

July 18, 2015 - APA Policy News

Ranking All 50 of Washington, D.C.'s State Avenues

Route Fifty created a ranking system to judge the "gravitas" of each of the avenues in the nation's capital named after the 50 states in the Union.

July 18, 2015 - Route Fifty

Seattle's Alleys Getting a Face-Lift

Since 2010, planners, designers, and community members have been actively transforming Seattle's alleys into beloved places within the city's urban fabric.

July 17, 2015 - The Seattle Times

Wind Turbines Likely Banned From Unincorporated Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors acted against the recommendations of county planners in moving toward banning utility-scale wind energy production from unincorporated parts of the county.

July 17, 2015 - Los Angeles Daily News

Mayor Emanuel Would Freeze TIF Districts in Downtown Chicago

Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed a plan that would save $250 million for schools and city operations at the cost of one of the city's most powerful funding mechanisms.

July 16, 2015 - Chicago Sun-Times

It's Patch Bill Time Again for Highway Funding

Though federal highway funding is set to terminate on July 31, the House has proposed an $8.1 billion, five-month extension instead of a six-year reauthorization bill.

July 16, 2015 - Bloomberg Business

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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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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.