Editor Ed Zotti writes about the numerous challenges facing Chicago's El train, and details his proposal for fixing it, which includes adding much-needed service on the North Side.
Ridership, meantime, is not a problem: Chicago's system is full of people, writes Zotti:
"Ridership on the trains has boomed in recent years. Last year almost 174 million people passed through the turnstiles, the most since 1967. (And in 1967 Chicago's population was 25 percent greater than it is today.) The city is becoming more dependent on trains and less on buses. Since 1992, weekday el ridership has increased nearly 25 percent, while bus ridership has dropped by roughly a sixth."
As the city prepares to modernize parts of the system, Zotti lists his tips for fixing the current problems.
FULL STORY: How To Fix the El
Chicago Gets Federal Money for TOD Planning Efforts to Accompany Red Line Extension
The long-discussed 130th Street Red Line stop gets federal money for planning transit-oriented development to accompany the proposed new station.
Amtrak’s Borealis Exceeds First Year Ridership Expectations
205,800 passengers have boarded the St. Paul to Chicago line, well above initial MDOT projections.
Chicago Judge Orders Thousands of Accessible Ped Signals
Only 3% of the city's crossing signals are currently accessible to blind pedestrians.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
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.”
Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code
The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)