Road Safety

Wildlife crossing bridge over roadway in Banff, Canada with snow-topped mountains in background

Wildlife Crossings as Key Infrastructure

Animal-vehicle collisions cause billions in property damage, hundreds of human deaths, and dramatic losses in animal populations every year. Monitoring migration and building for animals can make roads safer for everyone.

October 6, 2022 - Governing

Woonerf street with no curbs and trees in Lodz, Poland

What Is a Woonerf?

The woonerf, a type of road design that encourages multimodal transportation and blends pedestrian and vehicle space, was born as a reaction to the car-centric development that began dominating American and European city planning in the mid-twentieth century.

October 5, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

View from inside driver's seat of car with autonomous technology, with yellow rectangles highlighting obstacles in road

NACTO Fights Autonomous Vehicle Safety Exemptions

Two major automakers have petitioned for the right to test thousands of vehicles without major safety features such as brake pedals and steering wheels.

September 28, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Self-Driving Cars

Will Autonomous Cars Live Up to Their Potential?

A new report details the promise and perils of the growing autonomous vehicle industry.

September 23, 2022 - Smart Cities Dive

Cars are blurred as they pass the bright lights of the Michigan Theater at dusk in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor Delays Right Turn on Red Ban, Citing Equity Concerns

The city council wants more information on how a ban on right turns on red would affect the city’s hourly workers and the details of its implementation.

September 22, 2022 - M Live

Street Construction

Opinion: Traffic Calming Shouldn’t Be Optional

Road infrastructure that fails to make dangerous driving behavior feel risky to drivers is ineffective in protecting pedestrians and people on bikes.

September 21, 2022 - Streetsblog Chicago

Pedestrians

A Legal Perspective on Transportation Safety

Legal scholars are showing how the federal government frustrates pedestrian safety.

September 19, 2022 - Michael Lewyn

Aerial view of downtown El Paso, Texas with mountains in background

El Paso Launches Vision Zero Planning

The El Paso City Council approved a resolution to move forward with Vision Zero planning and initiatives in an effort to eliminate traffic deaths on some of the nation’s most dangerous streets.

September 18, 2022 - El Paso Times

Chicago Transit Authority

The Role of Segregation in Traffic Deaths

Research from Chicago suggests that the city’s traffic calming infrastructure is concentrated in the most affluent neighborhoods, contributing to higher rates of road deaths in lower-income neighborhoods.

September 16, 2022 - WTTW

Bike Infrastructure

Is ‘Protected Bike Lane’ an Oxymoron?

Some research suggests that separated and even ‘protected’ bike lanes actually increase the likelihood of car-bike collisions.

September 12, 2022 - Forbes

SLOW painted on asphalt street

What Is Traffic Calming?

Traffic calming is a set of design interventions aimed at slowing or diverting car traffic to reduce the chance of crashes and improve safety for all road users.

August 29, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

Two cyclists on a wooden bike bridge across a bayou with downtown Houston skyline in background

Houston Bike Advocates Propose Two Bridges Across White Oak Bayou

An as-yet-unfunded proposal to build two new bridges would create essential connections and help riders avoid a mile-plus detour.

August 18, 2022 - Houston Chronicle

Vision Zero

How Communities Can Leverage Federal Vision Zero Funding To Make Streets Safer

Two safe streets advocates give their recommendations for how to effectively use the $1 billion in annual funding available through a federal grant program.

August 10, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Aerial view of I-10 junction over swamp near New Orleans, Louisiana

Louisiana Road Safety Plan Highlights Impaired Driving, Reckless Behavior

The plan focuses traffic safety efforts on distracted and impaired driving, seatbelt wearing, and speeding, with a small nod to infrastructural factors.

July 31, 2022 - Plaquemine Post South

Protected Bike Lane Los Angeles

Caltrans Releases Complete Streets Action Plan

The agency’s detailed list of actions highlights the many changes needed to truly implement Complete Streets principles into California road construction and maintenance.

July 19, 2022 - Streetsblog California

Nighttime view of pedestrianized street in Bethesda, maryland with benches and people walking

Montgomery County Planners Present Pedestrian Safety Proposals

The auto-centric county has been building new bike trails and pedestrian facilities, but more improvements are necessary to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths and injuries, planners say.

July 15, 2022 - The Washington Post

Pedestrian crossing street with cars in background and "Dangerous by Design 2022" white font

Dangerous By Design: 2022 Report Analyzes Rising Pedestrian Deaths

The report ranks the most dangerous states and metro areas for pedestrians, who died at higher rates during the pandemic despite reduced driving.

July 12, 2022 - Smart Growth America

Kansas City

Kansas City Pedestrian Deaths Surpassing Last Year’s Rates

The city has taken some steps to address gaps in pedestrian infrastructure, but fatalities are growing as the most disadvantaged communities continue to lack safe walking conditions.

June 28, 2022 - KCUR

Pedestrian Safety

States Diverting Federal Road Safety Funds

Despite a nationwide rise in traffic fatalities, almost half of U.S. states have transferred federal road safety dollars to other projects.

June 24, 2022 - Route Fifty

SR-99 on-ramp in Seattle

Seattle Traffic Deaths Rose Again in 2022

Despite a commitment to eliminating traffic deaths by 2030, 2022 is shaping up to be the deadliest year in more than a decade.

June 22, 2022 - The Seattle Times

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.