Transportation

A map of a planned light rail line connecting Los Angeles to cities in the Southeast of the county.

$8.5 Billion, 19.3-Mile Light Rail Line Approved to Connect L.A. and Surrounding Cities

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has approved a plan to build a light rail route currently called the West Santa Ana Branch Project.

February 4, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles

L.A. Reimagines Parking for New Uses

In famously car-centric Los Angeles, developers and city officials are changing the way they view parking space, opting instead to allocate the space to more effective uses.

February 3, 2022 - Commercial Observer

Bus Priority Zones

Op-Ed: Invest More in Chicago's Buses

In addition to funding the city's roadways and trains, Chicago could use new federal infrastructure dollars to shore up its bus system and invest in bus rapid transit that would improve service for riders.

February 3, 2022 - Chicago Tribune

Alstom Train

New York's Commuter Rail Ridership May Never Reach Pre-Pandemic Levels

Shifting commute patterns and the popularity of remote work could pose an existential threat to the New York City region's commuter rail services.

February 2, 2022 - The New York Times

Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago Traffic Cameras Issue Most Tickets to Black and Latino Drivers

The city's controversial traffic camera program tickets Black and Latino motorists more than white drivers. Infrastructure may play a role in why.

February 2, 2022 - ProPublica

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

Rendering of Van Ness Avenue with Bus Rapid Transit

San Francisco's First BRT Line Closer to Opening

The Van Ness Avenue Bus Rapid Transit project will bring the first dedicated BRT corridor to San Francisco, nearly two decades after voters approved the project.

February 1, 2022 - Mass Transit

British Columbia

New Long-Term Plan for Vancouver Regional Transit Approved

A new 30-year transportation plan, focusing heavily on transit projects and active transportation linkages, was approved recently for the Vancouver, British Columbia region.

February 1, 2022 - TransLink

Highway 520

Washington Officials Want to Spend American Rescue Plan Funding on Highway Projects

Despite broader intentions, federal economic relief continues to get redirected to automobile-focused infrastructure.

February 1, 2022 - The Seattle Times

Pedestrians

National Roadway Safety Program Centers Vision Zero at the Federal Level

A new federal program will direct resources to reducing traffic deaths, improving roadway safety, and encouraging a shift to sustainable transportation modes.

February 1, 2022 - The New York Times

A Gold Line AnsaldoBreda P2550 train enters Mission Station in South Pasadena on February 25, 2012.

A New Transit Vision for Southern California's San Gabriel Valley

Light rail transit only recently arrived in its contemporary form to the San Gabriel Valley—first to Pasadena in 2003 before heading further east into the valley in 2016. The future of public transit modes in the region are still under negotiation.

January 31, 2022 - Streetsblog LA

Seattle Light Rail Construction

U.S. DOT's 2022 RAISE Grants to Target Emissions Reductions, Racial Equity

The RAISE grant program continues to make history as a distinct departure from U.S. transportation planning tradition.

January 31, 2022 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

World Planning Schools Congress title on photo of Balinese temple

World Planning Educators To Meet in Indonesia

The fifth World Planning Schools Congress this coming August, organized on the theme Planning a Global Village: Inclusion, Innovation, and Disruption, will step up cross-border movement of planning ideas and practices.

January 31, 2022 - World Planning Schools Congress V Call for Submissions

Arlington

Arlington County Authorizes Speed Cameras

The Arlington County board approved a program that will install traffic cameras in an effort to protect pedestrians and reduce police interactions.

January 30, 2022 - ARLnow

Digital Highway Sign

Can High-Speed Roads Stop Climate Change?

Some argue that even if wider roads induce more travel, they will actually reduce pollution by speeding it up. This post addresses one such argument.

January 28, 2022 - Michael Lewyn

Downtown Milwaukee

On-Demand Transit To Connect Suburban Milwaukee Job Centers

A new last-mile service set to launch in February will connect the city's residents with job-rich suburbs.

January 28, 2022 - Urban Milwaukee

New York Subway

Big Transit Projects To Look Forward to in 2022

An exhaustive list of all fixed-guideway projects scheduled to open or break ground in the U.S. in 2022.

January 28, 2022 - the transport politic

COVID-19 Test

COVID Zero: The High Price of Containment

Vision Zero: a strategy to eliminate road crashes, particularly those with fatal outcomes. COVID Zero: a strategy to end coronavirus transmission. Only one has worked—but at a steep price.

January 27, 2022 - The New York Times

I-84 to I-5 Interstate Freeway in Portland Oregon with Long Exposure Vehicle Traffic Motion

Oregon Youth Activists Protest Highway Expansion

A group of young climate activists are demanding an end to traffic-inducing road expansion projects and a renewed commitment to sustainable, transit-oriented transportation.

January 27, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Downtown Philadelphia

The Path to Hyperdensity

The federal government has an opportunity to make a generational investment in the country's infrastructure that could fundamentally shift the way we live and move around cities.

January 26, 2022 - Governing

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.