Long the bible for planners, the ITE standards are misleading and reinforce car dependence
In a more popular version of a forthcoming article in the Journal of Transportation and Statistics, Donald Shoup chronicles the problems with the ITE Parking Generation and Trip generation manuals that have become standards for planners and transport professionals in the U.S. and even abroad. He demonstrates that their ostensible accuracy is unmerited and misleading; that average rates are most often presented despite lack of statistical evidence for any relation between floor area and trips generated; and, more profoundly, that the tables are based on assumptions of car dependent land use that the manuals help become self-fulfilling, as follows. Rates are derived from studies of peak parking demand and number of trips in suburban sites with ample free parking--lacking transit, pedestrian facilities, or TDM; these are then used to mandate the design of new developments, thus ensuring that parking in these will be free, and densities low (so traffic generated at the predicted rates does not overwhelm roads.) When such sites are surveyed in the future, they will, indeed, validate these rates. Voila!
Thanks to Yaakov J. Garb, ITDP
FULL STORY: Roughly Right or Precisely Wrong, Page 20. [PDF 3.35MB, 44 pages]

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

Rethinking Computing: Researchers Tackle AI’s Energy Demands
USC researchers are reimagining how AI systems are trained and powered — through smarter algorithms, innovative hardware, and brain-inspired designs — to dramatically reduce computing’s energy footprint.

Amazon-Owned Robotaxis to Begin Testing in LA
Los Angeles will become the sixth city where Zoox is testing its autonomous vehicle technology.

New York MTA Says No More Borrowing, Will Cut Costs Instead
The agency says it won’t take out any new loans to finance its planned improvements and is finding other ways to cut costs.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions