Mass Transit

For a state that prides itself on being a nature lovers' paradise, a growing struggle with hazardous air pollution threatens Utah's very identity. Dan Frosch examines the factors contributing to the epidemic, and some of the proposed solutions.

February 25, 2013 - The New York Times

Transportation costs disproportionately effect low-income families, while federal transportation spending biases affluent drivers over lower-income mass transit riders. Activists are utilizing civil rights legislation to challenge the status quo.

February 21, 2013 - Boston Review

The results of a new poll conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show that even in a notoriously sprawling metro (and perhaps more so), transit riders have a stronger connection to their neighborhoods and the larger region.

January 28, 2013 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Angie Schmitt delivers news that will bring some post-holiday cheer to transit and smart growth advocates. The Federal Transit Administration has revised the criteria by which it judges projects vying for funds from two popular programs.

January 9, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

What will convince drivers to permanently switch to mass transit? A reliable system and incentives aren't enough, say a group of Swedish researchers, the experience of public transit should also match the qualities people love about cars.

January 8, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

With two transit-friendly figures elected to the highest posts in San Diego's government and transit advocates having scored a major court victory in upending the region's transportation plan, the city's transit future is looking bright.

December 10, 2012 - Voice of San Diego

In his work developing plans for six new cities in China, Peter Calthorpe has a unique perspective on what the country must do to build sustainable cities to house its growing urban population. He shares his insights with Fortune's Brian Dumaine.

December 4, 2012 - CNN Money

After his entreaties went unheard the first time around, Mayor Greg Ballard is once again leading efforts to get support for a $1.3 billion mass transit overhaul for the Indianapolis region.

November 18, 2012 - Indystar

The conventional wisdom among Americans who spend lots of time thinking about public transit is that four more years of Obama will be good news, and the election of the Romney-Ryan ticket would be bad.  I have to admit that this belief is by no means completely irrational: after all, President Romney will be much less likely than President Obama to veto a transportation bill passed by a Republican Congress, and might propose a mere austere budget than President Obama.   Nevertheless, I think there are good reasons to believe otherwise. 

October 11, 2012 - Michael Lewyn

Critic Michael Kimmelman, fresh back from Louisville's Idea Festival, questions why that quickly emerging city wants to double down on a new freeway expansion through its downtown while other progressive cities are tearing theirs down.

September 26, 2012 - New York Times

Kaid Benfield directs our attention to "a terrific, poster-sized graphic highlighting the benefits of public transportation" that was created by an unlikely source - a credit card comparison website.

July 18, 2012 - Switchboard

Not only are transit systems subsidized, but so are America's roads. While some advocate for the reduction of road subsidies to better incentivize transit use, Josh Barro argues for more effective ways to make mass transit work better.

July 15, 2012 - City Journal

Award-wining author Taras Grescoe pens an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times in which he makes an argument that may surprise many Angelenos - that their city is at the cutting edge of forward-thinking transportation planning in the U.S.

July 9, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

At long last, after more than a thousand days of politicking, Congress passed a comprehensive federal transportation funding bill on Friday. Transportation reform advocates are disappointed by the results.

June 30, 2012 - Streetsblog D.C.

Forever plagued with issues, from lack of funding to a lack of political support, Philadelphia's SEPTA mass-transit network is (again) on the verge of collapse.

June 22, 2012 - Philadelphia City Paper

Michael Lind argues that the version of the nation's infrastructure priorities we've been sold is a fallacy, and he has some suggestions for the kind of infrastructure we really need.

May 14, 2012 - Salon.com

A survey tracking Houstonian opinions for three decades has found that the most striking change in the car-centric city is an embrace of an urban lifestyle led by support for more mass transit options and less reliance on cars, reports Jeannie Kever.

April 25, 2012 - Chron

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is celebrating its 35th anniversary and is finding ways to ascertain exactly what the agency has brought to the region.

December 12, 2011 - The Atlantic

Carter Rubin at LA Metro’s The Source reports on ULI’s vision for Union Station, which Metro bought for a song earlier this year.

December 11, 2011 - The Source

After reading this story about a transit agency surveying their customers, I thought to myself: do riders really want another survey asking whether they are satisfied or how clean the stations are?  Although clean stations are certainly better than unclean stations, I suspect that these are not transit riders' major priorities.  (And when I say "transit riders" I really of course mean "myself").

November 30, 2011 - Michael Lewyn