Infrastructure

New York's Best Peforming Trains

The Times chose to investigate claims by transit agencies of high, on-time performance of LIRR, Metro-North, and NJ Transit by doing their own analysis and found major discrepancies. The article also indicates the infrastructure problems responsible.

July 29, 2010 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Could More Tolling Replace the Gas Tax?

Melissa Lafsky at The Infrastructurist poses the question. With raising the gas tax a political impossibility, how can we repair our ailing infrastructure? A lot more toll roads, says Lafsky.

July 28, 2010 - The Infrastructurist

The Most Dangerous Road in Georgia

Blueprint America reports from suburban Atlanta, where getting to the other side of the road is nothing to take for granted.

July 28, 2010 - PBS - Blueprint America

Gunfrastructure

Firearms collected by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in a collection drive will be melted down and turned into rebar used in state infrastructure projects.

July 28, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

High Speed Rail Puts Hurt on Freight

The emphasis on high speed rial in the U.S. overlooks the potential harm it could cause to the nation's powerful freight rail system, according to this piece from The Economist.

July 27, 2010 - The Economist

Car-Dependent Kansas City

Urban Land Institute president Patrick L. Phillips says his hometown of Kansas City needs to mend its car-centric infrastructure and encourage denser growth in the suburbs.

July 27, 2010 - The Kansas City Star

High Speed Rail Jobs: Many Temporary, Few Permanent

The planned high speed rail connection between Victorville, California and Las Vegas is expected to create 50,000 temporary jobs. Only 700 will become permanent.

July 27, 2010 - The Las Vegas Sun

BRT On the Way to Jordan

A new bus rapid transit project has begun construction in Amman, Jordan -- a first for the country.

July 26, 2010 - Treehugger

Tear Down Claiborne Ave. Expressway, Says Coalition

A group of activists and planners has released a report showing how tearing down the Claiborne Ave. Expressway in New Orleans and turning it into a boulevard would benefit the neighborhood and the city.

July 25, 2010 - The Times-Picayune

Bus Advocates Argue Rail Focused Planning Reduces Overall Transit Ridership in L.A.

Dan Weikel of the L.A. Times suggests that the focus on rail transit at the expense of buses has pushed general transit ridership down in general.

July 24, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

How Accurate Are California's HSR Ridership Figures?

When she read over the ridership estimates behind California's HSR plans, Elizabeth Alexis was expecting to have "obscure arguments over the standard deviations," but instead found glaringly obvious "math" mistakes.

July 23, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

More Than Just Air at the Airport

Airports are becoming more than airports, with an increasing number expanding their services to being multimodal transit hubs.

July 22, 2010 - USA Today

London's 'Cycle Superhighways'

The City of London has opened up two "bicycle superhighways".

July 22, 2010 - Press Association

Can BART Afford It's Expansions?

The Bay Area's 104-mile heavy rail system, BART, is planning major expansions. But many transit supporters, rather than cheering the new service and ridership the extensions would produce, are sounding alarms.

July 21, 2010 - San Francisco Examiner

Why Streetcar Spending Is Good For Charlotte

Charlotte just won $25 million in grants from the federal government to combine with $12 million of local funds to build a streetcar system. Some say it's a waste of money. This editorial from The Charlotte Observer argues its case.

July 19, 2010 - The Charlotte Observer

Depaving Rural American Roads-Literally

Rather than being part of a car liberation or permeable pavement movement, poorly maintained county roads are having their asphalt ground into gravel as a cost-cutting measure to avoid costly road reconstruction. Lack of funding is the cause.

July 19, 2010 - Wall Street Journal - U.S.

China Agrees to Finance New Argentinian Metro and Rail Construction

A $10 billion dollar spending spree will improve transit in Cordoba and Buenos Aires, but also between Argentina and neighboring Bolivia. "Funds come from the China Development Bank and will require a 15% match from the Argentinian government."

July 16, 2010 - the transport politic

Would You Pay To Sit On A Public Bench?

Designer Fabian Brunsing is responsible for "Pay & Sit: The Private Bench." Basically, it's a bench covered in metal spikes that retract when you feed it money.

July 16, 2010 - Fast Company

South Korea's City of The Future

Being developed on 1500 acres of Incheon's waterfront, Songdo is a completely planned city harnessing the latest innovations in green technology and planning doctrine aimed at creating a sustainable, self contained 'city of the future.'

July 16, 2010 - ABC News

Smart Grid Scores As Heat Beats Up New York City

In the face of a recent heat wave, New York City's smart grid stood up to the challenge and made sure that the power kept flowing.

July 16, 2010 - Good

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.