Light Rail
Proposed Rail Station to Provide Future Rail Connection to LAX
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to move forward with a station near LAX, proving they'd made more progress in the last 12 months than in the previous 25 years to bring transit rail to the airport.
Commuter Rail Showdown: Houston versus Dallas
The rivalry between Dallas and Houston is well known, but Dug Begley recently made a compelling comparison between the two cities: their approach to commuter rail.
Light Rail Success Story for Houston's Red Line
With two new rail lines, serving east and southeast Houston, due to open later this year, early returns have been positive for the "North Line" extension of the city's Red Line.
Honolulu Light Rail Taking Shape
After clearing two lawsuits in February, and weathering a contentious mayoral election, the Honolulu light rail project is under construction.
How Fair Were Reports of Portland's Light Rail Shortcomings?
After a recent report questioned the value Portland's light rail investments, a local journalist and a TriMet representative provide countering metrics of success.
The Reviews Are In: Denver's West Rail Line
After a year of operation, Denver's 12.1-mile West Rail Line has provoked an ambivalent public response.
Will Tampa Bay Solve its Transit Equation?
Robert Trigaux wonders if the Tampa Bay metro area will be wake up to the country’s changing demands of transportation and end “the parochial arm wrestling over what kind (if any) of mass transit lies in its future.”
How Well Does Light Rail Attract New Transit Riders?
The answer to the question in the headline is “not very.” Thirty years into the initial experiment, however, light rail has not been the game changer it was hoped to be.
Seeking Funding: Light Rail Route from Miami to Miami Beach
Local officials agree that a light rail system from Miami to Miami Beach would work, and they have embarked on a partnership to win the funding to commence a study of a potential $532 million route.
County Income Taxes for Transit? Hoosiers to Decide
When it comes to allowing voters to decide whether to increase local or state taxes for transportation, the most common option by far is the local or state sales tax. But what about income taxes; has it been tried before? And for public transit only?
Light Rail Extension Requires State Support in Virginia Beach
In a recent speech, Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms announced that Virginia Governor Terry McAullife and Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne have pledged financial support for a $1.3 billion light rail extension.
How Would the Movie Speed Look in Today's Los Angeles?
Twenty years after the movie Speed, which took place on the Big Blue Bus, Metro rail system, and other transit facilities, Keanu Reeves and crew might not recognize L.A.'s current transit system. L.A. County planner Clement Lau surveys the changes.
Regional Connector Transit Project in High Gear for Los Angeles
The Regional Connector, a light rail improvement project in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, is one of the closest watched transit projects in the country. The federal government recently allocated a $670 million grant for the project.
The Road to Prosperity: Real-Time Approaches to Economic Improvement
People have been driving about 1% less per year for the last 9 years. What can public-private partnerships for transportation alternatives do to stoke this fire?
L.A. Breaks Ground on New Light Rail Line as Pols Debate Airport Connection
Tuesday was a day of celebration in South L.A. as officials broke ground on the 8.5-mile Crenshaw Line, the newest addition to the region's expanding transit network. But just two days later, politicians resumed bickering over how to connect to LAX.
North America Will Invest More Than $80 Billion in New Transit in 2014
Yonah Freemark assembles his annual review of the year ahead in transit expansion by analyzing the dozens of projects that will start, continue, or complete construction this year in North America. Nearly every metro region is investing in transit.
Houston Celebrates Opening of METRORail North
Houston's METRORail will triple in size next year, going from 7 to 22 miles. METRO Chairman Gilbert Garcia enthusiastically describes the new 5.3-mile North Line extension and last week's celebration to open it. Two new lines will open next year.
Denver Faces Light Rail vs. Bus Decision
The financial data is clear: BRT costs much less to go further and serve far more riders. Case closed, or is it? The Denver Post editors look at HNTB's cost and ridership estimates for the Northwest Rail Line and offer a recommendation, sort of.
BRT Delivers More Bang for Your Development Buck
A study due out this month from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy captures for the first time the relative benefits of investment in bus rapid transit in spurring development. BRT outperforms both light rail and streetcars.
Want Happiness? Live Near Transit
According to a study by U. of Minn's Jason Cao published in the journal, Transportation, there is a positive correlation between living near light rail transit and satisfaction with life. He based it on the Hiawatha light rail line in Minneapolis.
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 Charlotte
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
