The N Line between Denver and its northern suburbs opens today to the public, but N Line trains are expected to carry far fewer passengers, and lower frequencies, than originally planned.
The Regional Transportation District, the transit provider for the Denver region, is opening the N Line rail line between Downtown Denver and the city's Northern Suburbs.
An article by John Aguilar prepares the public for what will be a very strange opening indeed, with the coronavirus gutting transit ridership in the Denver region as in other parts of the country. In Denver, transit ridership has declined by 64.4 percent, according to Aguilar, during the second quarter of 2020 compared to the previous year.
The 13-mile commuter rail line connecting Union Station to Commerce City, Northglenn and Thornton is one of the only major transit projects anywhere to go operational in the midst of a global health crisis, and its launch next week raises fresh questions about what the future of public transportation will look like once the coronavirus fades into memory.
Because of the pandemic's effect on ridership, the "N-Line will likely carry less than half of the projected 5,600 to 8,100 daily riders it was expected to have at the end of its first year," reports Aguilar. RTD service designer have cut headways on the N-Line before it's even open. Trains will run every 30 minutes, down from the originally planned 20 minutes.
N Line map courtesy of the Regional Transportation District
FULL STORY: Opening of N-Line to Denver’s north suburbs a rare “bright spot” for COVID-battered transit sector
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.