transportation equity

Blur image of patients in a hospital waiting area.

Report: Poor Access to Transportation Linked to Missed Healthcare

One in five Americans with limited access to transit and no vehicle have to forego medical appointments.

May 1, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Diagram of a roundabout and site photos laid out on a desk

Transportation Agencies: Improve Your Models or Hire More Lawyers

Transportation models are biased in ways that result in inefficient, unfair and environmentally harmful planning decisions. Improve your analysis or prepare to be sued.

April 26, 2023 - Todd Litman

Portland Interchange

Oregon Toll Road Proposals Raise Cost, Equity Concerns

The state’s plan to implement tolls to reduce congestion and promote alternate transportation modes is facing some backlash as critics argue the revenue shouldn’t fund road expansion projects.

February 15, 2023 - Oregon Live

View of 15mph speed limit sign with Monument Valley mesas in the background

The Fight to Improve Tribal Transportation

Advocates for tribal communities argue that the bipartisan infrastructure bill does not direct enough money to tribal transportation needs, but USDOT and local leaders can ensure more equitable distribution of funds to projects on tribal lands.

November 3, 2022 - NRDC

Electric cars parked curbside and charging on a city street

Building Electric Vehicle Infrastructure for All

Advocates warn that an inequitable distribution of EV charging facilities could lead to ‘charging deserts’ that will prevent widespread adoption of EVs in low-income communities.

September 27, 2022 - Grist

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

Pedestrians walking in downtown Denver, Colorado surrounded by tall office towers

Jaywalking Up for Decriminalization in Denver

Like other city and state leaders, Denver’s city council will weigh a proposal to decriminalize jaywalking in an effort to reduce interactions with law enforcement and improve transportation equity.

September 13, 2022 - Westword

Protected Bike Lane Los Angeles

Los Angeles to Put Mobility Plan to Voters

The city has made almost no progress on the mobility plan it adopted in 2015. Now, voters will decide whether, and how, L.A. will have to follow through.

August 30, 2022 - LAist

OVerturned vehicle with fire truck and firefighters assisting

The Unequal Impacts of Traffic Crashes

Rates of traffic deaths vary widely among racial and economic groups but continue to rise across the board.

August 25, 2022 - The New York Times

Bus stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with blue bus and passengers boarding

Pittsburgh Launches Guaranteed Basic Mobility Pilot

The program aims to improve access to jobs and economic opportunities for some of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods.

August 25, 2022 - Smart Cities Dive

Bus riders wearing masks

Opinion: Free Transit Opposition Is Tone Deaf

Critics of free transit programs argue that free fares may not decrease driving or fight climate change. Dr. Destiny Thomas explains why that argument ‘misses the point.’

August 24, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Parked electric scooters on a sidewalk with person walking bike in the background

Highlights From the National Shared Mobility Summit

Mobility leaders from around the country met to discuss multimodal transportation, equity, and accessibility.

May 25, 2022 - Smart Cities Dive

Wisconsin State Capital

Transit Activists Call on Wisconsin Leaders To Reject Car-Centric Planning

With billions in new federal funding set to benefit state infrastructure projects, advocates for sustainable transportation call on state leaders to focus resources on public transit, pedestrian, and cycling improvements.

February 7, 2022 - Madison Commons

Bus Stop

Evaluating Transportation Equity: ITE Quickbite

This short new publication by the Institute of Transportation Engineers provides an overview of key transportation equity concepts and describes practical ways to incorporate equity analysis into planning.

February 2, 2022 - Evaluating Transportation Equity

U.S. Capital

The Lesser-Known Programs in the Infrastructure Bill

While the focus has been on flashier components of the infrastructure bill, some smaller initiatives could have outsized impacts by shifting priorities and funding resilience efforts.

January 23, 2022 - Governing

Bus Stop

Transit Agencies Direct Resources to Core Ridership

As commuter ridership continues to lag due to the pandemic, transit systems are adjusting to better serve the essential workers and transit-dependent households who need them the most.

January 5, 2022 - Wired

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Equity Plus: Toward More Integrated Solutions

Many transportation equity strategies only address a small portion of the need. To be more effective, we need structural reforms that create more diverse and affordable transportation systems and more compact and multimodal communities.

January 4, 2022 - Todd Litman

New Orleans Freeway

How Federal Funds Can Benefit Freeway Removal Projects

The recently passed infrastructure bill dedicates $1 billion to freeway removal and capping, but the sum is only a 'first step' toward redressing the injustices perpetuated by urban highway projects.

December 16, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Community Transit buses at the University of Washington, Seattle.

How Inadequate Transit Harms College Students

A lack of access to affordable and reliable transit is being cited as a major reason why many college students don't finish school.

December 15, 2021 - The Washington Post

Beg Button

'Beg Buttons' Quietly Appearing at East Bay Crosswalks

Critics of pedestrian crosswalk buttons say the devices, meant to help improve bus speeds, give pedestrians the 'absolute lowest priority' on city streets.

December 9, 2021 - Streetsblog San Francisco

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.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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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.