BART

Lost in Transportation

The inconsistent signage, representing 26 different public transportation systems in the Bay Area, leaves many riders feeling lost. Julie Caine describes the confusion and improvements underway.

March 6, 2012 - Transportation Nation

Airport-BART Connection Materializing Amid Cost Disputes

Nearly 10 years in the works, a connector between Oakland International Airport and the BART transit system is taking shape.

January 8, 2012 - The Contra Costa Times

BART To San Jose To Take $772 Million Step

One of the costliest transit projects in the Bay Area is a $772 million contract, closer to construction come Dec. 8. The long-awaited BART extension from Fremont to the region's largest city may be contingent on FTA funding expected in February.

November 28, 2011 - San Jose Mercury News

BMW Unveils Design Alternatives for BART

A follow-up to last month's story, BMW Group DesignworksUSA released three interior concepts - each one more posh and modern than the last - for BART's "Fleet of the Future." No spy shots needed.

August 15, 2011 - The Huffington Post

Souped-Up BART Trains Courtesy of BMW

The nation's fifth-largest rail system Bay Area Rapid Transit will collaborate with BMW DesignworksUSA to update its aging fleet.

July 25, 2011 - AutoBlog

Cushy Seats Matter, Says BART

The San Francisco Bay Area's BART rapid transit system is being remodeled, which requires new seats. Planners are getting riders to weigh in -- literally -- on seat comfort.

April 27, 2011 - Tr-Valley Herald

If You Build It, Will They Come?

California's high-speed rail project is in fact going to be built despite the state's looming budget crisis, but many are beginning to question what kind of impact the project will have if the right development around train stations is not met.

January 7, 2011 - The Bay Citizen

Railing Against Airport Connectors

Stephen Smith questions the reasoning behind this increasingly popular breed of capital project, arguing the real benefits of connectors rarely justify their hefty price tags.

October 18, 2010 - Market Urbanism

Congestion Pricing, Carpool Charging And Driver Behavior

KALW's transportation reporter takes a ride across the Bay Bridge during the peak period to experience the new travel patterns brought on by the Bay Area's first experience with congestion pricing - she interviews a UC specialist in human behavior.

August 14, 2010 - KALW News via SF Gate

Berkeley's BART Tunnel Should Be Model For Peninsula Rail Opponents

San Mateo County, hotbed of opposition to high speed rail, including numerous lawsuits, might be better served by following the 1960s Berkeley example in passing a bond to tunnel the train through the impacted cities, suggests local editor.

August 12, 2010 - San Mateo Daily Journal

Can BART Afford It's Expansions?

The Bay Area's 104-mile heavy rail system, BART, is planning major expansions. But many transit supporters, rather than cheering the new service and ridership the extensions would produce, are sounding alarms.

July 21, 2010 - San Francisco Examiner

S.F.'s Market Street Railway Celebrates Sesquicentennial

Carl Nolte, the San Francisco Chronicle's historian, writes on the 150-year anniversary of the Market St. Railway that began operation as a 2-car steam train on July 4, 1860, and the evolution of rail on/under Market St including BART & Muni Metro.

July 12, 2010 - The San Francisco Chronicle

BART Expansion Raises Questions About TOD in San Jose

Plans to expand the Bay Area's BART system to the Silicon Valley have brought into question the future of a San Jose flea market that some want to turn into a transit-oriented development.

July 2, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

Controversial BART to Airport Being Built Anyway

Back in February, the Federal Transportation Administration revoked $70m in funding from the proposed BART airport connector over civil rights violations. Streetsblog reports that BART is forging ahead anyway and looking for other funders.

June 24, 2010 - Streetsblog

Underground Berkeley Bike Station Surfaces

...and expands almost nine-fold to be the nation's second largest. While not as proximate to the BART gates as the existing ten-year-old, 400 sq. ft station, it will be only be half a block away.

June 18, 2010 - Contra Costa Times

Honolulu's Rail Plan Debated Amongst Engineers

A Univ. of HI civil engineering professor blasts the professional engineering group of Hawaii's endorsement of the planned, elevated rail system. Voters supported the system in a 2008 election, but it has since become politically contentious.

April 21, 2010 - (Honolulu) Star Bulletin

Transportation Victory for Social Equity

February 22, 2010 - Richard A. Marcantonio

$70 Million in Transit Stimulus Funds at Risk

BART's people-mover connection to the Oakland Airport is jeopardized by an FTA ruling that the agency failed to reach out to minorities, potentially denying the agency of $70 million in stimulus funds. Might the funds go to other transit needs?

January 26, 2010 - SF Gate - Oakland Blog

People Mover to Link BART and Airport

Oakland International Airport will link directly with a nearby BART station through a driver-less people mover, according to a decision made recently by BART directors.

December 11, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

49% Spike in Ridership After Bay Bridge Closes

BART beat previous records for ridership on Weds. after a piece of the Bay Bridge that was fixed over the Memorial Day weekend failed.

November 2, 2009 - Transportation For America blog

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.