Transportation Planning

Los Angeles Freeway

Buttigieg Promises to Undo Racist Freeway Policies

The U.S. Department of Transportation nominee acknowledged the impact the interstate highway system has had on communities of color and vowed to mitigate the damage.

January 3, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Brookline, Massachusetts

Dedicated Bus Lane Planned for Boston Neighbor

Bus lanes are catching on in the Boston region. The city of Brookline is the latest example.

January 1, 2021 - Streetsblog Mass

Gas Works Park

Washington State Active Transportation Plan Draft Released

The Washington State Department of Transportation is undertaking a legally mandated update of its plan for bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

December 30, 2020 - Seattle Bike Blog

Car-Free Cities

Watch: The Car-Free City Becomes Reality

The latest City Beautiful video shows off the fruits of car-free initiatives in European cities.

December 25, 2020 - City Beautiful

New York Subway

New York, Boston Transit Agencies Back Off Proposed Cuts

News of a potential economic stimulus package in Congress is followed by news that two of the nation's most prominent transit systems are reducing cuts proposed to address plummeting revenues.

December 17, 2020 - Spectrum News

Tin Pan Alley in London

Traffic Reductions in Outer London's 'Mini-Hollands' Curtail Vehicle Ownership

An analysis of areas designated as "low traffic neighborhoods" shows a decrease in vehicle ownership rates, a promising sign for the traffic-choked metropolis.

December 17, 2020 - Findings

Coronavirus and Transportation

L.A. Metro Plans for an Equitable Recovery

The pandemic has forced difficult confrontations with inequities that existed long before the novel coronavirus. L.A. Metro planners are responding by charting a path toward a transportation system that reverses and improves those previous realities.

December 16, 2020 - James Brasuell

Highway Construction

Highway Boondoggles Continue as the Pandemic Stresses Budgets at Every Level of Government

U.S. PIRG has released the latest edition of the Highway Boondoggles report, the sixth edition of the report published since 2014.

December 10, 2020 - U.S. Pirg

Bus Stop and Bike Lane

Integrating Climate Protection, Public Health, and Equity Into Planning

The beta version of a comprehensive new evidence-based platform called Streetsmart helps policy makers, planners, and advocates make the case for healthy, inclusive, and sustainable transportation investments.

December 6, 2020 - Streetsmart

Wheelchair Accessible

Transport Access Manual: A Guide for Measuring Connection between People and Places

This new Manual is a guide for evaluating peoples' ability to access services and activities, and therefore the performance of transportation and land use configurations.

December 2, 2020 - Transport Access Manual: A Guide for Measuring Connection between People and Places

Scooter Citations

An Atlas of E-Scooter Policies

Introducing the Micromobility Policy Atlas.

December 2, 2020 - Shared-Use Mobility Center

First Responders

New York City Traffic Fatalities Pass 2019 Totals

The visions of a car-free utopia that might have seemed like a potential silver lining in March and April have given away to a tragic reality.

November 29, 2020 - New York Post

Transportation Planning

Criticisms for Two Seattle Transportation Studies

Two studies begin the process of spending billions of dollars for infrastructure in Ballard and Interbay in Seattle. According to this critique, the effort is off on the wrong foot.

November 25, 2020 - The Urbanist

Tolls

Smarter Transportation Pricing, Please! Responding to Criticisms of Road Tolls and Parking Fees.

Many transportation problems are virtually unsolvable without efficient road and parking pricing. When people say "I oppose road tolls," they are really saying "I support traffic congestion." Here are responses to common objections.

November 24, 2020 - Todd Litman

San Gabriel Valley

Southern California Officials Slow to Accept Complete Streets

Proposed changes to the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority's highway program would allow local governments the flexibility to implement complete street elements with new projects. The proposition has been a surprisingly tough sell.

November 23, 2020 - Streetsblog LA

I-94 North-South Project

Opinion: Proposed I-94 Expansion a 'Fiasco' for Milwaukee

An opinion piece published by Urban Milwaukee argues against a proposed expansion of three miles of Interstate 94 in Milwaukee.

November 22, 2020 - Urban Milwaukee

Zakim Bridge and Tobin Bridge

Legal Settlement a Major Win for High-Capacity Transportation in Massachusetts

A decision by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to rescind a carpool lane has not resulted in a significant expansion of transit and carpool capacity on Interstate 93 north of Boston.

November 22, 2020 - Streetsblog Massachusetts

Downtown Dallas

The Right Planning Consultant Could Make All of the Difference

Between DART service optimization and deciding the fate of I-345, Dallas has big of decisions to make. The right consultant, who understands accurate framing of planning issues, could help choose a route that best serves Dallasites.

November 20, 2020 - D Magazine

Highway Widening

A Texas Freeway Revolt

The thirst for urban expansion and new highway capacity hit a roadblock on the fringe of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolis.

November 19, 2020 - D Magazine

Texas Freeway

TxDOT Wants to Build the I-35 Capital Expressway to 20 Lanes

After releasing "public scoping" details for a massive widening project in Downtown Austin, a writer slams the Texas Department of Transportation for its car-centric approach to transportation planning.

November 17, 2020 - Austin Towers

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.