As a part of its series on pressing issues that should inform the current Canadian federal election, the Globe and Mail examines how other cities around the world have undertaken affordable transportation innovations to ease traffic congestion.
The Globe and Mail points out that Canadians are only too willing to travel on subways or bicycles when they travel but seem resistant to change in their own cities:
"Canadians...remain psychologically gridlocked when it comes to how to improve our daily commute. Change also requires the kind of permanent funding that big-city mayors and others believe should be part of a federal urban strategy – and on the table for discussion in the national election campaign.
According to a new ranking of international cities by the Toronto Board of Trade, Canadian urban centres fare poorly on everything from transit ridership to infrastructure spending. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Stockholm and Oslo topped the transportation ranking, while cities as varied as Madrid, New York and Seattle all outperformed Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, where congestion and transit problems were found to be 'crippling' local economies."
As alternatives, it offers New York's transportation planning under Janette Sadik-Khan, Hong Kong's "Octopus" smart card, Stockholm's congestion pricing, Spain's public-private partnerships and time-shifting in Melbourne.
Read the full story: Canadian traffic in psychological gridlock
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Maryland local governments examine if they should have more power to raise property taxes
Maryland’s housing market is out of reach for the majority of moderate-income residents.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello