After reading through dozens of long range transportation plans, I have to wonder if the planning profession is serious about improving mobility. By mobility, I mean improving the ability, speed, and efficiency of getting from point A to point B.
After reading through dozens of long range transportation plans, I have to wonder if the planning profession is serious about improving mobility. By mobility, I mean improving the ability, speed, and efficiency of getting from point A to point B.
This isn't the focus of most plans. On the contrary. These plans seemed focused on reducing mobility. Few, for example, recognize let alone make recommendations for reducing traffic congestion. In fact, David Hartgen at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte estimates that more than 40% of the American population will live in metropolitan areas with severe congestion (LOS F) by 2030 based on current trends and transportation plans. Twelve cities will have congestion equivalent to current day Los Angeles.
Instead, the programmatic focus of most Long Range Transportation Plans seems to be on: 1) improving options for small groups that use alternative transportation modes, such as bicycles, but have little overall impact on traffic patterns or regional mobility, 2) attempting to funnel more people onto public transit which usually results in longer commutes and trips, or 3) reducing travel overall (which of course reduces mobility).
At the core, it seems, improving mobility in the 21st century implies accepting, even embracing auto-mobility. This, of course, means planning for the car. Perhaps that's the real problem: the planning profession has yet to really accept and embrace the automobile as a fundamental step forward in improving mobility. Until it does that, and incorporates this view into long range transportation plans, we seem committed to less mobility and more congestion.
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.
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.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
Significant Investments Needed to Protect LA County Residents From Climate Hazards
A new study estimates that LA County must invest billions of dollars before 2040 to protect residents from extreme heat, increasing precipitation, worsening wildfires, rising sea levels, and climate-induced public health threats.
Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
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
Write for Planetizen
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.