While much attention is focused on new technologies, the potential of existing transportation modes has never been fully realized.

"The tools we need to change transportation are right there in front of us," writes Henry Grabar. He argues that it is not the new, flashy technological innovations and visions—the hyperloops and self-driving cars—that are going to improve mobility. Instead, revisiting the technologies we already have, such as elevators and bikes, are what will truly transform the world.
"The bus is another overlooked piece of technology that could do far more. In most American cities, buses are hard to depend on because they run infrequently, slowly, and often on routes that are holdovers from streetcar systems abandoned decades ago. Give a bus its own lane, its own route, its own authority over signals, and it can permit car-free land use to flourish alongside," urges Grabar.
The issue ultimately is about cities designed for and prioritizing cars and driving. "Even here, in a nation of unprecedented personal wealth and plentiful land, the car-centric system has pushed up against the limitations of space, proving expensive to maintain and impossible to scale," says Grabar.
FULL STORY: The Hyperloop and the Self-Driving Car Are Not the Future of Transportation

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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie