Car-Centric Planning

Primary Image
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

Row of white electric cars at charging station

Rise Of Electric Vehicles Makes Good Planning More Crucial Than Ever

There may be plenty of reasons to hail the rise of electric vehicles, including California's policy to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035. But what may be good for the air is not necessarily good for cities.

September 15, 2022 - California Planning & Development Report

A view of the Cross Bronx Expressway, an elevated highway that allows cars to drive past apartment buildings.

The Case for Urban Highway Removal

Instead of removing urban freeways, which have proven to be destructive to communities and economies—in some cases deliberately so—many cities are expanding freeways in and around cities.

September 12, 2022 - The New York Times

Pandemic Bike Lanes

Europe Building a Post-Car Future

While the United States mobilizes to transition to electric cars, cities and countries in Europe are transitioning to fewer cars.

September 6, 2022 - Yahoo News

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

Texas Announces $85 Billion in Road and Highway Construction Projects

Texas recently announced a historic commitment to automobile infrastructure.

September 6, 2022 - Texas Department of Transportation

People gather on a street with no cars during the L.E.A.F. Festival of Flowers in the Meatpacking District of New York City.

The Tide Has Turned Against Open Streets

Once a promising development for advocates pushing for a less car-centric future in cities, the open streets movement has ceded significant ground to cars since the height of the pandemic.

August 14, 2022 - The New York Times

A single car in an empty parking lot full of only bright yellow bollards. A caption on the image reads, "Keep calm and carry on."

Keep Calm. Carry On. AVs Are Just the End of Parking.

Opinion: As autonomous vehicles continue to appear on roads around the world, planners and engineers must be proactive in devising new and creative uses for soon-to-be-obsolete urban parking.

August 8, 2022 - William Riggs

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.