Transit Planning

Expo Line LA Skyline

Traffic Signals Will Finally Prioritize Expo Line Trains in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council has approved a motion to improve signal prioritization for the sake of light rail transit on the Expo Line where it operates in city streets.

November 7, 2019 - Streetsblog LA

Portland, Oregon Public Transit

Making it Safer to Walk to Transit in Portland

TriMet, the regional transit agency in the Portland, Oregon area, this week launched a process for creating a new Pedestrian Plan.

November 6, 2019 - BikePortland

Texas Commute

Opinion: Houston Should Vote Yes for MetroNext to Build Transit and Clean the Air

The executive director of Environment Texas makes the case for public transit as a key tool in improving air pollution in and around Houston. Houston voters will vote on the MetroNext bond referendum today.

November 5, 2019 - Houston Chronicle

Indianapolis Bus Rapid Transit

Indianapolis Going Big on Transit Planning

The IndyGo transit system is wrapping up a period of free fares for its new Red Line bus rapid transit line before another big launch scheduled for spring 2020.

October 29, 2019 - Indianapolis Star

Charlotte Light Rail

A New 26-Mile Light Rail Line Considered for Charlotte

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) would like to add an ambitious, expensive project to its capital investment plans, but funding the project is more daunting than the last time the system expanded.

October 28, 2019 - The Charlotte Observer

Mayo Clinic

Bus Rapid Transit Chosen for Big Mayo Clinic-Adjacent Economic Development Program

Rochester, the third-most-populous city in Minnesota and birthplace of the Mayo Clinic, has approved a plan to build bus rapid transit.

October 28, 2019 - KTTC

NJ Transit

Post-Christie, NJ Transit Finding a New Way Forward

This opinion piece celebrates the new era of transit funding and planning currently underway in the state, but also calls for more: progress, action, and work.

October 28, 2019 - NorthJersey.com

Metro Fare

How Rider-Friendly Fare Policies Can Improve Transit

So many aspects of a transit system's fare system can make or break the rider experience and even the long-term viability of the system. A new report helps transit planners and service designers make sense of all the options.

October 27, 2019 - TransitCenter

Union Station

Plan Would Shift High-Speed Rail Funds to Burbank-Anaheim Commuter Corridor

Improvements to the commuter rail connections between Los Angeles and Orange counties are among the possibilities for the future of rail planning in California as uncertainty about high-speed rail continues.

October 26, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Atlanta to Charlotte Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan

High-Speed Rail Connecting Atlanta to Charlotte Studied

The Georgia Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration recently released a draft study of a plan to link Atlanta and Charlotte via high-speed rail.

October 25, 2019 - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Los Angeles Metro Bus

How to Improve Buses, the Overlooked but Essential Part of Urban Mobility

A new book argues that buses are an integral part of successful mobility networks and that better bus systems improve cities in ways benefiting all residents.

October 23, 2019 - CityLab

New York City Rail Line

Historic Rail Line, Part of the Triboro RX Plan, Considered for Passenger Rail

A rail corridor that carried passengers from 1876 until 1924, and only freight since, could handle passenger traffic again through a plan under consideration by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

October 18, 2019 - Brooklyn Eagle

Wisconsin Public Transit

Transit Dreams Follow 'Wheel Tax' Proposal in Madison

After Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway proposed a $40 "wheel tax," otherwise known as a vehicle registration fee, the debate heated up about what the revenue could fund, or whether it's necessary at all.

October 15, 2019 - Channel 3000

Red Carpet Lanes

Seattle on a Roll With New Bus Lanes

A new plan to upgrade an existing bus lane in Seattle isn't the first and it probably won't be the last.

October 13, 2019 - The Urbanist

Vancouver Planners Hope to Leverage New Subway for Public Benefit

Vancouver is scheduled to begin construction on a new subway in 2020, and planners are laying out a vision for the neighborhoods surrounding the new line, including turning Broadway into a "Great Street."

October 11, 2019 - Georgia Straight

Enhanced Transit Corridors Plan

Federal Approval Clears Way for Bus-Only Lanes in Portland

Portland will soon be spreading out the red carpet for buses.

October 10, 2019 - BikePortland

Manhattan Bus Transit

Early Reviews for New York's Big Car-Free Experiment

Last week, 14th Street in Manhattan was closed to almost all varieties of automobile traffic, freeing up one of the slowest bus routes in the city. How will residents, workers, and commuters react?

October 7, 2019 - Gothamist

U District Station

Hopes Dashed for Pedestrian Only Street in Seattle

The city of Seattle is planning for street improvements around the University District station under construction on NE 43rd Street. But the latest designs don't allow for a street designed exclusively for pedestrians.

October 6, 2019 - The Urbanist

A Line

Reimagining Transit in the Denver Region

The Reimagine RTD initiative will imagine the future of transit service in the Denver region. Already a debate has begun about which direction the RTD should take.

October 4, 2019 - The Denver Post

Light Rail Transit

All That Could Have Been: Transit Planning in Maryland

Maryland approved ambitious plans for public transit expansion around Baltimore in 2002, but almost none of it became a reality. With a new plan in the works, transit boosters assess the loss of a generation's worth of progress.

October 3, 2019 - Maryland Matters

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.

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.