Public Transit
Johannesburg's Auto-Orientation and the Persecution of the Pedestrian Majority
You really need to almost get hit by a car to feel like a true Johannesburg pedestrian. That's the way it goes here. A huge, sprawling greater metropolitan area of about 10 million people covering more than 600 square miles, the city is built for the car. And if you're not in one, good luck.
With Transit Funding in the Dumps, Seattle Could Ditch Ride Free Area
A section of downtown Seattle has for decades been a fare-free public transit zone. Those days could be coming to an end.
BRT Hits the Las Vegas Strip
Last Thursday, Las Vegas broke ground on the ACE Green Line, a new BRT corridor that will connect downtown Las Vegas and Henderson.
Growing Transit in Growing Cities
As urban growth continues, the role of public transit systems will escalate. Though some cities already have the infrastructure in place to adapt to this expected growth, many cities are starting to worry about what they'll do when the people come.
Cable Cars See Increased Usage As Transit In Developing World
Low-cost, high capacity urban gondolas and cable cars are being successfully used as public transit and tools of urban revitalization in Colombia, Algeria and other parts of the developing world.
Feds Put Faith in L.A. Transit Plan
Federal officials are looking at an unlikely city as a model for urban public transit: Los Angeles.
New Argument for Public Transit: Better for Texting?
In a recent piece in Wired, Clive Thompson suggests that the solution to the problem of texting while driving is not to stop texting, but to stop driving. The popularity of texting is a good reason to support public transit.
The Most Expensive American Transit Projects of the 2000s
This post on The Infrastructurist looks at the most expensive public transit projects of the last ten years in the United States.
Exurbs Will Rise - Again
Grist writer Lisa Selin Davis argues that now is the time to make public transit a priority in serving outer suburbs, because the rebounding economy will inevitably lead to increased demand.
Raise My Taxes, Please! Financing High Quality Public Transit Service Saves Me Money Overall
Most North American cities offer only basic public transit service, with limited coverage and frequency, modest speeds, unattractive waiting areas, poor land use integration, and few amenities. Such service is used primarily by people who lack alternatives. In such communities, riders tend to abandon public transit as soon as feasible.
Houston Looks At Reshaping Transit
Houston Mayor Annise Parker is considering a big shake-up of the city's public transportation, including the option of transitioning to a fare-free system.
Comparing Five of The Nation's Biggest Transit Systems
GOOD takes a look at five of the nation's biggest public transit systems and compares their ridership, average speeds, and average miles per trip.
Accessibility Vs. Mobility Redux
I’m going to riff off a recent Interchange Blog post by Michael Lewyn on the relationship between mobility and accessibility. Given the positive comments from the planning community to Michael’s post, a little engagement may be necessary for both clarity as well as fully understanding the implications of reading too much into the accessibility versus mobility debate.
Recession Pulls Transit Ridership Down
Transit ridership has dipped in 2009, according to a new report from the American Public Transportation Association. The recession and high unemployment rates are being blamed.
Is Riding Transit Necessarily Better For The Environment Than Driving?
In the third of a 5-part "Rethinking Green" series, the National Post casts doubt on public transit's ability to reduce global warming while praising driving; applying similar scrutiny to recycling and aquaculture in the first and second installments
Is Marketing the Key to Transit Success?
Los Angeles County's transit agency has increased its marketing efforts in recent years. This piece from The City Fix suggests the push has been an effective tool and that other transit agencies should take note.
Can Free Fares Save Public Transit?
With 100 percent subsidies, transit agencies could drop the pretense of being businesses and serve many more people -- or so proponents say. Agencies aren't so sure.
More Passengers And Less Funding Threaten To Cripple Transit Agencies
The recession has made many commuters more transit-dependent while shrinking the public coffers that may for the bulk of transit service. Without further subsidies, agencies face tough choices because of this "incredible paradox."
How to drive traffic away
A few days ago, I was trying to take a streetcar in Toronto- and the streetcar was just as congested as any suburban arterial. The lines in front of streetcars were so long that I couldn't get into the first streetcar. Or the second. Or the third. Instead, I had to wait a few minutes (horrors!) for the fourth streetcar. I asked myself: what if streetcars only ran every hour, instead of every few minutes? Would the streetcars be equally crowded? Of course not. People would abandon the streetcars and start to use cars (if they owned them) and buy them (if they did not yet own them).
Transit Disoriented Development
Arlington, Texas, is home to the Dallas Cowboys' football stadium. But as the largest American city with no public bus or rail lines, getting to the stadium is no easy task.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
