Great American Streetcar Conspiracy

Streetcar Graveyard

The Inevitable Rise of the Auto and Fall of the Streetcar in Los Angeles

A timely piece in The Guardian's City series looks at the demise of streetcars in Los Angeles, beginning with the Great American Streetcar Conspiracy. If only it was that simple.

May 4, 2016 - The Guardian Cities

D.C. Streetcar

The Real Story Behind the Death of Streetcars in the United States

Yes, there was a conspiracy led by General Motors to replace streetcars with their buses in the 1930s. But streetcars were dying well before then, due to competition with the automobile and other reasons apart from nefarious corporate collusions.

May 12, 2015 - Vox

Who Killed the Streetcar?

It's an article of faith among many that GM, Firestone, and Standard Oil destroyed the streetcar networks of the early 20th century. Stephen Smith suggests that Progressive Era and New Deal planners and politicians should shoulder more of the blame.

September 23, 2010 - Market Urbanism

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.