Transportation Response Center Launched by NACTO, Bloomberg Philanthropies

Track the response of local transportation strategies responding to the massive shift in travel demand as a result of the pandemic.

1 minute read

March 31, 2020, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Public Transit Ridership

marleyPug / Shutterstock

The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the Bloomberg Philanthropies have announced a new online platform for transportation-focused strategies in response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

According to a press release from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Transportation Response Center “[gives] mayors, city officials and other practitioners real-time information on the transportation strategies cities are deploying to adapt to the rapidly evolving international health emergency.”

“The Transportation Response Center is a clearing house for actionable, adaptable practices already implemented in many cities, such as: Seattle and Austin converting parking spaces into restaurant food pick-up zones; New York, Seattle, Detroit and other cities allowing rear-door bus boarding or waiving transit fares; and cities like Philadelphia and Minneapolis opening former vehicular traffic roads exclusively for pedestrians and bike riders in order to allow citizens to exercise outside while maintaining healthy social distancing.”

The online platform is the second such partnership for online collaboration enabled by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Previously, Bloomberg Philanthropies worked with the National League of Cities to create the Local Action Tracker. 

Planetizen has launched a new Coronavirus Tools tag to track efforts to collect resources and information online to help make sense of the wave of news and policies emerging in response to the Coronavirus.

Monday, March 30, 2020 in Bloomberg Philanthropies

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

2 hours ago - San José Spotlight

Group of anti-gentrification protesters holding signs like "Tourist go home" in Mexico City.

Mexico City Anti-Gentrification Plan Aims to Half Housing Deficit

The plan comes in response to protests that targeted ‘digital nomads’ who locals blame for driving up housing costs.

3 hours ago - Mexico News Daily

Small oundabout with plants on neighborhood street.

Chicago Has Quietly Built Hundreds of Neighborhood Traffic Circles

Thanks largely to one alderperson’s efforts, the city has made mini-roundabouts a key piece of its road safety strategy.

4 hours ago - WBEZ