The paper of record in a Texas oil town is a surprising place to find an article singing the praises of a society built on public transit instead of the automobile.
Chris Tomlinson writes for the Houston Chronicle:
International travel always makes me think about the choices we’ve made in America, and spending time in Japan made me think about which forms of transportation our government subsidizes and to what end.
Comparing Japan’s emphasis on shared, electric railroads to America’s focus on personal, fossil fuel vehicles is especially relevant as the world confronts climate change.
According to Tomlinson, only one of these two divergent paths, set upon after World War II, has paid off, and that's the public transit orientation of Japan. Both governments spent trillions to build out their vision of the future, and many places are continuing to sink more money into the status quo. Tomlinson cites a plan by the Texas Department of Transportation to widen I-45 in Houston as an example to back up that claim.
FULL STORY: Trains and rail make more sense than cars and roads
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.