The first step to solving the transit “desert” problem is identifying where those deserts are. But that’s easier said than done.
A transit desert, Eric Jaffe explains, is a place where a high need for transit—marked by the presence of low-income, elderly, or disabled populations—coincides with inadequate service. Two transport scholars recently set out to map transit deserts in Chicago and three other cities using GIS. The results were mixed: some areas they identified as having the highest need are in fact known to have good service.
“Suffice it to say, identifying transit deserts with GIS remains a work in progress,” Jaffe writes. But that doesn’t mean mappers shouldn’t keep trying. To the contrary, the scarcity of transit funds makes the need to identify transit deserts all that more urgent.
Read the full story: The Difficulty of Mapping Transit 'Deserts'
Study Identifies Chicago's 'Transit Deserts'
A new report challenges assumptions about Chicago's transit system, identifying well-populated neighborhoods that are cut off from frequent transit service.
Trump Cuts Decimate Mapping Agency
The National Geodetic Survey maintains and updates critical spatial reference systems used extensively in both the public and private sectors.
Flixbus Nearing Deal With Chicago Bus Terminal
Greyhound is shedding stations around the country, but Chicago intercity bus passengers will still be able to use the city’s main bus terminal — for now.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority