Transportation

London Bikes

Bike Lanes Don't Cause Congestion

Research from Europe shows bike infrastructure doesn't add to urban traffic and can shift mode share from cars to bikes and reduce the need for solo car trips.

January 2, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Pacific Ocean

Santa Monica Offers Affordable Housing to Residents Displaced by Freeway Construction

A new program seeks to make restitution for the damage inflicted on Black communities by highway construction and urban renewal.

January 2, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Large numbers of young people, some wearing and masks and others note, walk around an outdoor shopping mall in Southern California.

The Most Popular Articles on Planetizen in 2021

The most-read news, features, blogs, and Planopedia posts on Planetizen in 2021.

December 31, 2021 - James Brasuell

Crash test dummies in a car

Coalition Calls for Updated Federal Crash Test Standards

Revising federal crash test standards and updating test dummies to mimic a wider variety of bodies could save thousands of lives each year.

December 31, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Walkable Street

Ten Urban Success Stories From 2021

Still battling a global pandemic and its widespread economic and social effects, cities nevertheless made progress in some unexpected ways.

December 31, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Curb cuts at an intersection in Neponsit, Queens, New York

Federal Government to Enforce Accessibility Guidelines

Local agencies will soon be tasked with adhering to federal right-of-way accessibility rules: comprehensive guidelines for accessible streets and sidewalks.

December 30, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

SR-99 on-ramp in Seattle

Seattle Neighborhood Calls for Highway Removal

South Park becomes the latest community to call for the removal of a highway segment that has cut off the neighborhood from local amenities for decades.

December 30, 2021 - The Urbanist

The first R1T built for a customer rolling off Rivian's assembly line at their plant in Normal, IL

Georgia Offers Massive Incentive Package to EV Manufacturer

Critics question the wisdom of giving Georgia's largest-ever incentive package to electric car manufacturer Rivian to secure a new factory and job training center in East Atlanta.

December 30, 2021 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Joe Biden sits in a chair holding a microphone in front of a screen that reads Wall Street Journal and Infrastructure

Year in Review: The Stories That Defined Urban Planning in 2021

Part two (of two) of Planetizen's review of 2021 collects the biggest stories and storylines of the year from the wide world of planning.

December 30, 2021 - James Brasuell

Regional Transit

Remote Workers: The New Supercommuters

Workers who moved away from their jobs during the pandemic are adjusting to longer commutes as employers start asking them to return to the office.

December 29, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Multiple bridges busy with cars cross Lady Bird Lake outside downtown Austin, Texas.

Vision Zero Projects Reduce Carnage in Select Corners of Austin

Vision Zero safety improvements at High Injury Roadways and implementation and Leading Pedestrian Intervals are reducing crashes in Austin. The city has a long way to go to achieve Vision Zero.

December 29, 2021 - Fox 7 Austin

A pair of bikes are leaning against a street sign on an urban street in Philadelphia.

New Philly Bike Racks Blend Form, Function, Fire Hydrant Access

The clever designs serve multiple purposes—providing more bike parking while getting cars out of illegal parking spaces.

December 29, 2021 - Next City

Los Angeles Traffic - The Newhall Pass

Cities and Automobile Dependence: What Have We Learned?

Thirty years ago Peter Newman and Jeff Kenworthy introduced the concept of automobile dependency. In this article they reexamine the evidence, consider criticisms, and discuss how their insights changed—sometimes painfully—planning practices.

December 28, 2021 - Gasoline Consumption and Cities Revisited: What Have We Learnt?

Chicago ADA Access

Better Access to Urban Opportunities

A major new Coalition for Urban Transitions guide offers specific recommendations for COVID-19 recovery, climate emergency response, and poverty reduction through policies that make cities more accessible, sustainable, and inclusive.

December 28, 2021 - Better Access to Urban Opportunities: Accessibility policy for cities in the 2020s

Seattle Coronavirus

Seattle Times Editorial Board: Time for Pike Place Market to Go Car-Free

It's been more than a century since the Seattle City Council decided to remove farmstands to make space for cars at the Pike Place Market. Public and political opinion is starting to see that decision as a mistake that can be reversed.

December 28, 2021 - The Seattle Times

Texas Bullet Train

Eminent Domain Questions Still Dog Texas Central High Speed Rail Plans

The Texas Attorney General took a break from its crusade against unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud to weigh in on a controversial question of property rights.

December 28, 2021 - Texas Tribune

The interior of a Tesla, with a large video screen. The person behind the wheel is touching the screen.

Tesla Reverses on Video Games for Drivers

Tesla's rollout of video games that can be played by drivers on the center consoles of the automakers cars has quickly turned into a recall.

December 28, 2021 - Associated Press via The Guardian

COVID-19 City

What Can Lessons From Traffic Safety Teach About the Covid Response?

Finger waggings aren't effective for pedestrian safety—so why should they work for public health? A "safe system" approach, created for traffic safety in Sweden, offers a model for improved pandemic public health outcomes, according to this opinion.

December 28, 2021 - Angie Schmitt

Fringe Development

O'Toole, Cato Institute Part Ways

Randal O'Toole, who resisted contemporary progressive planning trends by supporting the unfettered expansion of automobile infrastructure and single-family residential development, is no longer employed by the conservative-leaning Cato Institute.

December 27, 2021 - The Antiplanner

Gaslamp Quarter

SANDAG Plan Retreats on Road Usage Charge, Proposes Other New Taxes

In response to conservative opposition to a proposed road user charge, San Diego's regional planning agency is proposing other revenue sources including a tax on ride-hailing and three sales tax increases.

December 27, 2021 - Voice of San Diego

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.