Car-Centric Planning

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Miami Traffic Jam

The Cost of Driving Increasingly Out of Reach in the U.S.

New research stresses the importance of socioeconomic differences in U.S. transportation trends.

March 27, 2023 - Salon

North Carolina

North Carolina Drafts Clean Transportation Plan

Similar to other plans focused on reducing emissions from the transportation plan, North Carolina’s draft Clean Transportation Plan will rely on electric vehicles to reduce emissions from the state’s transportation sector.

March 7, 2023 - Government Technology

A speedometer showing Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers

Generation Z Is Driving Less, But History Indicates It Won’t Last

Think Generation Z will usher in the long-awaited post-car future of transit advocates’ dreams? Think again (about the example set by the Millennials).

March 2, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

New York City sidewalk with outdoor dining patio with black and white striped umbrellas and black barriers protecting diners from traffic

The Slow Retreat of Pandemic-Era Outdoor Dining Programs Continues

It’s been almost three years since the political dynamics of outdoor dining in the United States shifted, suddenly and overwhelmingly. Increasingly, the status quo is being restored.

March 1, 2023 - James Brasuell

Chicago Commute

The Right to Mobility

As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.

January 26, 2023 - Angie Schmitt

A view of Houston's freeways, with downtown in the background.

Rising Costs Threaten TxDOT’s $85 Billion Highway-Building Plans

Texas Transportation Commissioners must have a hangover—backing off its highway building ambitions just a few months after approving the $85 billion Unified Transportation Plan in August 2022.

January 3, 2023 - Houston Chronicle

A map showing planned and under-construction segments of roads in Nebraska.

Federal Infrastructure Bill Accelerates Nebraska’s Plans for 600-Mile Expressway

Nebraska is in the process of criss-crossing the state with a new expressway system. According to state transportation officials, the final push to complete the multi-decade project will be aided by Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.

December 19, 2022 - Omaha World-Herald

Capitol Hill

GAO Decision Makes it Easier for States to Spend Federal Infrastructure on Roads

An attempt by the Biden administration to control new infrastructure dollars has been foiled by the Congressional Review Act.

December 19, 2022 - Politico Pro

Baltimore Rail

Baltimore’s Red Line Rail Project Back on the Table Thanks to New Governor

One of the most infamously anti-transit decisions of the past decade—Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s decision to cancel the Baltimore Red Line system expansion—could be reversed by the incoming governor.

December 12, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

A man operates a yellow roller to smooth out fresh pavement on a road.

Construction Set to Begin on $1.6 Billion Highway Widening in Texas

Construction is expected to begin on the Southeast Connector highway widening project near Fort Worth in the spring and wrap up in 2027.

December 8, 2022 - The Dallas Morning News

Biketown

Roadways for People: The Necessity of Collaboration

Breaking down planning silos to ensure transportation options in a car-oriented world.

December 8, 2022 - Lynn Peterson and Elizabeth Doerr

The former parking of Woodies restaurant is filled with empty picnic tables for dining during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Outdoor Dining Parklets No Longer Cheap and Easy

Cities in Santa Cruz County, California are making outdoor dining laws permanent, and some businesses are getting sticker shock at the extra cost of maintaining the pandemic-era expansion of al fresco dining.

November 21, 2022 - Lookout Santa Cruz

The High Cost of Free Parking

The United Nations Calls on U.S. Planners to Break Land Use, Transportation Status Quo

“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”

November 13, 2022 - Greater Greater Washington

A woman on an electric bike and two women on electric scooters wait at an intersection for the light to change.

Banning Electric Scooters Results in More, Longer Car Trips, Study Says

Cities should expect to see increases in automobile trips, and resulting consequences, if they ban or limit the use of electric scooters or other micromobility devices, according to new research.

November 1, 2022 - Nature Energy

Highway Widening

Lawsuit Challenges Maryland's Big Highway Widening Plans

A lawsuit has challenged Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's plans, first proposed in 2017 and granted federal approval earlier this year, to widen Interstate 270 and part of the Capital Beltway.

October 27, 2022 - The Washington Post

New York City Open Streets

Open Streets and Outdoor Dining Are Best for Business, Report Says

Most business owners believe that they'd be out of business without on-street parking near their front door. The experience of New York City during the pandemic proves otherwise.

October 27, 2022 - StreetsBlog NYC

New York City Open Streets

Cities Rethinking the Value of Parking

The effort to reclaim public and private spaces from car storage had some setbacks since the days of al fresco and open streets in the first years of Covid-19. But widespread parking reforms and new evidence shows the public is rethinking parking.

October 17, 2022 - Globe and Mail

A crosswalk activation button is shown in the foreground with two pedestrians show blurred while crossing the street in the background.

Jaywalking Decriminalized in California

Another day, another historic planning-related bill signed into law in the Golden State.

October 4, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles sprawl

The Inflation Reduction Act Missed a Chance to Rein in Car-Dependent Sprawl

The federal government is so far unwilling to reverse course on car-dependent sprawl. The Inflation Reduction Act is the latest example.

October 3, 2022 - Metropolis

Copenhagen Bikes

The Inflation Reduction Act's 'Inadequate' Reliance on Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but not enough to prevent the worst of climate change and not as much as walkable cities with far fewer cars on the road.

September 20, 2022 - Urban Institute

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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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.