Why do movies and tv shows hate public transit much? There's no answer here, but there is plenty of evidence that the question responds to reality.
"Have you ever noticed that almost any time characters ride a bus or a train in a movie, they…kinda hate it?"
That's how Kea Wilson opens a "Streetsblog 101" feature listing many examples of pop culture stigmatizing public transit. Let's get this out of the way, right away: the list includes the famous monorail episode from The Simpsons, for reasons that rarely get mentioned in transit advocacy:
Seriously, has any small town in America ever been offered a comprehensive transit network — much less had everyone in town unanimously and immediately agree it would be great? If it were true that vaudevillian hucksters are coming to convince us all to invest in trains — unless we’re smart enough to demand the endless autocentric roads we really need — then Streetsblog would not need to exist.
Click through to the source article to see a ton of clips of public transit being defamed on TVs and movie screen, and also read Wilson dispense with the many ways pop culture worships the automobile.
FULL STORY: Streetsblog 101: How Pop Culture Stigmatizes Public Transit
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.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
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.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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.