Reflecting on his experiences at CNU's recent Transportation Summit, Jarrett Walker examines "the mutual incomprehension that plagues the relationship between urban designers and transit planners."
Walker disseminates some of his favorite discussion points from a session he participated in that focused on issues related to planning for transit networks. One of the topics of discussion, the fatal disconnect between urban designers and transit planners, is at the climax of Walker's influential book, Human Transit.
As Walker relates, "Phil Erickson, of Community Design + Architecture, made two of the best points:
- Both sides of this incomprehension engage the other too late in the process.
- Both sides assume that the other is more flexible than it is.
To these, Walker adds his own observations that
- We are literally working in different dimensions: Urban design is
mostly about places. Transit planning is about corridors and networks. - We live in different timescales. Urban design is about something
that will be built and completed. Transit planning is about eternal
operations.
While he doesn't proffer an easy solution, Walker notes that, "the first step toward overcoming a
divide is to really understand why it is so pervasive, and that
requires both sides to think about their deep assumptions, and why
different assumptions follow from the nature of the other party's work."
FULL STORY: urban designers are from mars, transit planners are from venus

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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.”

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.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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)