Transit Planning

Purple Line Extension

Court Ruling Could Be a Final Setback for Maryland Purple Line Extension

A recent ruling by a U.S. district court could be a deathblow for the 16-mile Purple Line extension into Maryland, as well as for transit planning in general.

May 23, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Penn Station Interior

Cuomo Has a Unique Opportunity with Penn Station

The disastrous state of the country's most busy transit station presents an opportunity to make big improvements.

May 4, 2017 - The New York Times

BART Station

BART Extension Kerfluffle: East Bay Officials Pushing for New Rail Authority

If the city of Livermore and several state legislators gets their way, a proposed extension of BART to the city of Livermore would be planned and built by the Tri Valley-San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority.

April 17, 2017 - East Bay Times

Providence Ditches Streetcar Plans; Goes With High-Frequency Buses Instead

A decade ago, Providence considered a streetcar for land that once moved cars along the former path of Route 195. Now transit planners have once again shifted gears, targeting a high-frequency bus corridor for the area.

April 11, 2017 - Providence Journal

Monorail. Las Vegas

Las Vegas Light Rail Plans Take a Big Step Forward

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada has proven its seriousness about an ambitious proposal to build a light rail connection between McCarran International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip.

March 17, 2017 - The Associated Press

Orange Line

Reform for Maryland's Farebox Recovery Mandate Could Change Planning Paradigms

A funding formula that frequently determines the scope and quality of transit in the state of Maryland could be reformed by state legislators this year.

March 16, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Charlotte Lynx

Light Rail Opening Next Year, More Lines Proposed—Transit Debates Keep Finding Charlotte

An extension of the Lynx Blue Line is schedule to open to the public on March 31, 2018. Controversy regarding sales taxes have traditionally followed transit projects in the region.

March 12, 2017 - Charlotte Magazine

Cost, Ridership Projections Headed the Wrong Direction for Toronto's Scarborough Subway

A new city staff report on the proposed Scarborough Subway, still in planning stages in Toronto, made the project a much tougher sell for Mayor John Tory and other project supporters.

March 10, 2017 - The Toronto Star

Austin Bus

Big Changes Coming for Austin Transit System

After a long survey process, Austin looking to update its transit system focusing on frequency on its busiest routes.

March 4, 2017 - Capital Metro Blog

Bus Stop

'Free to Ride' Explores the Disparate Impact of Transit Planning

A new feature-length documentary film raises the question of whether public transportation is a civil rights issue.

February 16, 2017 - Mass Transit

London Underground

What Transport for London Learned While Tracking Users for a Month in 2016

Public transit agencies don't normally get the kind of fine-grained location and navigation data made possible by tracking phones. London got temporary access to that info at the end of 2016, however.

February 14, 2017 - Gizmodo UK

Indianapolis Street

Indianapolis City Council Has Yet to Sign Off on Voter-Approved Transit Tax

Waiting for the funding to back up a transit plan can be brutal—especially when the calendar says February you thought you approved a transit-funding tax in the November election.

February 4, 2017 - Nuvo

Phoenix Light Rail

Feds Clear the Way for Phoenix's Light Rail Extension

A light rail extension that will reach South Phoenix took a crucial step forward last week.

January 19, 2017 - KJZZ

Seattle Light Rail

Transit Ducks in a Row for 2017

2017 will be a big year for transit openings around North America. What will come in the years to follow has a lot to do with the Trump Administration.

January 16, 2017 - the transport politic

Sacramento

The Details of Sacramento's Proposed Downtown Streetcar Line

The cities of West Sacramento and Sacramento have high hopes for a streetcar line planned for some of the most beautiful and urban neighborhoods in the region. The Trump Administration could still change the course of the project, however.

January 13, 2017 - The Sacramento Bee

Transit Rendering

Freedom and Liberty Through Public Transit?

In PlanPhilly, a discussion on Jarrett Walker's brand of humanities-infused transit planning. The wonky stuff is all well and good, but in the end it's all about simple access and freedom of movement.

December 12, 2016 - PlanPhilly

DART Dallas

A Best Practice for Measuring Transit Performance

The New York MTA isn't the only transit system to spend valuable time evaluating ways to evaluate service, and it certainly won't be the last. TransitCenter suggests one metric to end these kinds of debates.

November 22, 2016 - TransitCenter

Nashville

Nashville Mulls Funding Ideas for its $6 Billion Regional Transit Plan

The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee adopted the most comprehensive and expansive version of the nMotion plan. Now they have to fund all those big ideas.

November 11, 2016 - The Tennessean

Mini Metro

Friday Fun: Now You Can Race to Keep the Trains Running on a Mobile Phone

The Mini Metro transit planning game has been around in all its simple and frustrating glory for a few years now, but it only recently became available as a mobile app.

November 11, 2016 - The Verge

D.C. Metro

Big Hopes Ride on a Recently Approved Transit Station in Alexandria

A long-delayed decision by the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration removes the final regulatory obstacle for the construction of a new Metro station in Alexandria, Virginia.

November 7, 2016 - 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.