A proposed bus rapid transit route connecting Pittsburgh to the neighborhood of Oakland will surely benefit many commuters, but other transit commuters, including some of the poorest in the region, will face new hardships.
[Updated: October 12, 2017] Ed Blazina updates the status of proposed bus rapid transit route between downtown Pittsburgh and the neighborhood of Oakland, which planners have been refining for at least 18 months, and in the public consciousness for much longer.
While the $195 million project waits for funding from the Federal Transit Administration, Port Authority of Allegheny County planners are holding hearings to explain the projects impact on regular bus riders in eastern neighborhoods and suburbs in the Monongahela Valley.
"Many routes used by those riders, such as the 61A, B and C, would end in Oakland when the new system becomes available, and riders would have to transfer," according to Blazina. So the Port Authority is considering "whether to reduce outlying service, charge for transfers and establish express routes from some communities."
[Updated to reflect the actual location of Oakland in the Pittsburgh city limits.]
FULL STORY: How will 'rapid bus service' impact outlying areas?
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
The State of E-Scooters in the US
Eight years after shared e-scooters were first introduced in US cities, the industry still teeters on the edge of success, hindered in part by limited infrastructure.
Rochester Shows Possible Future for Former Highways
A former freeway is undergoing a massive redevelopment that goes beyond highway removal to reconnect and revitalize surrounding areas.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.