A German engineer has developed small, individually-powered rail cars which he hopes to put into use on the country's old railroad tracks. The systems is a new fusion of trains and taxis, operating automatically for on-call use by small groups.
"In the past, developments in public transportation often focused on the expensive train transportation -- traditional passenger trains, high-speed rail and magnetic levitation trains that move the masses. But Railcab is part of a new trend of developing relatively fast, highly efficient and cost-effective individual transportation systems that could radically change the way we travel in the future."
"In inventor Joachim Lückel's brave new world, there is neither a control center for the cars nor a fixed schedule. That's too old fashioned. Instead, the customer calls, and the next available vehicle rolls up, ready for service in the way we use taxis today. And the journey continues towards its goal, without any stops or changes of train."
FULL STORY: German Company Engineers Driverless Taxi
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
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Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
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.
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Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)