The NYC Transit Explorer from Sidewalk Labs shows how much transit service New Yorkers stand to lose when the L Train shuts down for 18 months.
Dan Vanderkam writes a post to explain how Sidewalk Labs worked with the New York-based advocacy group Transportation Alternatives to create an interactive tool to illustrate how the looming shutdown of the L Train in New York will affect residents and commuters.
The tool is a map demo we’re calling the NYC Transit Explorer. It’s built on top of a transit router that uses the latest GTFS feeds for all MTA bus and subway lines, as well as the Staten Island ferry, to determine travel times and routes throughout the five boroughs. Traditional navigation routers direct people from Point A to Point B (call it one-to-one); our router adds the ability to show people how long it would take to get anywhere in the city via transit from a given origin (one-to-many).
After explaining the tool, Vanderkam then walks through step-by-step examples to show how the L Train closure will affect transit trips between Brooklyn and Manhattan—in terms of general accessibility and along specific routes. The post concludes with a call to action developers and civic hackers for help improving the tool.
Read the full story: New map demo: How the L train shutdown will impact your commute
First Weekend of L Train Slowdown Could Have Been Worse
The long awaited repair work on the L Train between Brooklyn and Manhattan launched over the weekend.
Breaking: Gov. Cuomo Cancels L Train Closure
Surprise, shocking news from New York City, as Governor Andrew Cuomo steps in at the 11th hour to change course on the highly anticipated (and dreaded) L Train closure scheduled to begin later this year.
Single-Occupant Vehicles Banned on Williamsburg Bridge During L Train Closure
Solo commuters crossing from Brooklyn to Manhattan on the Williamsburg Bridge are in for a rude awakening on April 27 when the L Train closes. To accommodate more buses and bikes on the 115-year old bridge, cars will need at least 3 people.
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.
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.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
If Corpus Christi can’t revive desalination plant project, it may owe Texas $235 million
Earlier this month, city officials declined to pursue developing the plant for the second time in a year.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello