Silver Line

Silver Houston Metro bus on dedicated lane.

Houston Metro to Reduce BRT Service

The city’s Silver Line rapid transit has not been attracting as many riders as originally projected.

April 29, 2024 - Houston Chronicle

Blurred image of train passing by platform at Washington, D.C. undergroundtrain station

D.C. Metro Plans Ambitious Expansion Despite Financial Woes

Facing a $750 million ‘fiscal cliff,’ the agency says it’s important to continue looking forward to ‘visionary’ future plans.

July 12, 2023 - DCist

Dallas Transit

Tensions Rise Between Dallas and Rapid Transit Agency

The city is accusing DART of mismanagement of tax revenue that the agency had pledged to return to the city for infrastructure investments.

March 15, 2023 - D Magazine

View of Dulles International Airport terminal

New Rail Line Connects D.C. Area to Dulles Airport

The Silver Line extends passenger train service into Loudon County and adds new connections to the region’s airports.

November 10, 2022 - The Washington Post

Greensboro Station on Metro's Silver line near Tyson's Corner

5 Transit Projects to Watch in the D.C. Region in 2020

Light rail, bus rapid transit, subway cell service, and more.

December 26, 2019 - WAMU

McLean, Virginia

Already a Year Behind Schedule, Testing Halted on Silver Line Phase 2 to Virginia

Construction is underway, but testing has been halted, on Phase 2 of the WMATA Silver Line, which will eventually include six stations, including one at Dulles International Airport, and will for the first time extend Metro into Loudoun County.

September 23, 2019 - The Washington Post

Lynx Blue Line

Scrutiny for Charlotte Silver Line Light Rail Plan

Cost and economic development considerations supersede mobility considerations in the planning for Charlotte's planned light rail line.

March 9, 2019 - WFAE

Amazon Fulfillment Center

Grappling With the Potential Impact of Amazon's HQ2

What does it mean for housing planning if your county gets Amazon's second headquarters? Virginia's Loudoun County contemplates that possibility with a mix of confidence and trepidation.

September 27, 2018 - Loudoun Now

Boston, Massachusetts

Feasibility Study Launched for Automated People Mover to Boston's Airport

It's still early in the planning process, but an Automated People Mover could eventually replace buses and shuttles as the airport connection of choice for Logan International Airport.

May 10, 2018 - The Boston Globe

A Subway Breakdown Causes Tolls to Skyrocket on 66 Express Lanes

An illustration of the intricate relationship between public transit and highways occurred on April 5 when two lines of the D.C. Metro broke down during the peak morning commute, sending many would-be riders to drive I-66 to D.C. instead.

April 11, 2018 - The Washington Post

Silver Line

Boston Needs Buses, Not Gondolas

A CommonWealth Magazine editorial argues that gondolas over Summer Street in Boston's Seaport district are less practical than busses, which could avoid traffic with a dedicated lanes.

March 15, 2018 - CommonWealth Magazine

Greensboro Station on Metro's Silver line near Tyson's Corner

D.C. Metro Considering Privatization of Operations and Maintenance on New Silver Line

A proposal to privatize operations and maintenance of stations and track on the Silver Line has taken an initial, tentative step forward.

January 12, 2018 - The Washington Post

Washington D.C. Metro

Federal Transit Administration Threatens Metro Shutdown after Thursday's Fire

Unless D.C. Metro abides by the Federal Transit Administration safety directives issued Saturday and takes "urgent action," they threatened to shut down all or parts of the system, the nation's second busiest subway after New York's.

May 9, 2016 - The Washington Post

More Delays and Costs for D.C. Metro's Silver Line Extension

An already difficult project received bad news at the end of April in the form of long delays and huge cost overruns. Now Phase 2 of the Silver Line extension is expected to arrive in Loudon County, Virginia in 2020.

May 20, 2015 - The Washington Post

A bus next to the re-located light rail station at Denver's Union Station

Trains Are Always Better than Buses, Right?

Josh Barro provide examples galore of why the answer to that question isn't always yes—where costly rail investment has been to the detriment of existing transit. His column targets proposed projects, such as New York's LaGuardia Airport AirTrain.

February 11, 2015 - New York Times - The Upshot

Tysons Corner

D.C.'s New Metro Line Already Influencing the Suburbs

The Silver Line opened two and a half months ago. Already, with strong ridership in both directions, some businesses are seeing new opportunities.

October 15, 2014 - Elevation DC

Lukewarm Architectural Review for New Silver Line Stations

Although the D.C. Metro's new Silver Line stations in Northern Virginia are designed for functional rather than high aesthetic ideals, Philip Kennicott's review for the Washington Post focuses on the benefit of the line to the region.

August 4, 2014 - The Washington Post

D.C. Metro's Silver Line Launches Passenger Service

After no small amount of debate, delay, and controversy, the first phase of D.C. Metro's Silver Line will launch passenger service today. The line will connect Washington D.C. to northwestern Virginia, including four stops in Tysons Corner.

July 26, 2014 - The Washington Post

Riding D.C. Metro's Silver Line: the Great Suburban Retrofit

CityLab provides an in-depth analysis of the planning efforts surrounding the D.C. Metro's forthcoming Silver Line in Tysons Corner, Virginia. At stake, according to the article: "the future of the American suburb as we know it."

June 11, 2014 - CityLab

45 Million SF of Development Planned for Densifying D.C. Suburb

A report from Cushman & Wakefield details the 45.3 million square feet of development currently projected at four Tysons Metro stations that will open soon along Northern Virginia's new Silver Line.

December 13, 2013 - The Washington Post

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.

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.