Transportation

CTA Bus

For Better Transit: Fund Buses

Despite a preference among policymakers for high-tech transit solutions, the humble bus, with the right infrastructure and funding, has the potential to be the heart of a comprehensive, reliable, and cost-effective transit system.

March 24, 2021 - New York Times

Electric Car Charging Stencil

Chuck Schumer Proposes Big Investment in Electric Vehicles

The Senate Majority Leader's plan would pump more than $50 billion into direct incentives for consumers, manufacturers, and property owners.

March 24, 2021 - The Verge

Coronavirus and Transportation

The Post-Pandemic Future of Rideshare

With pooled services suspended through the pandemic and research showing most users prefer private rides, will shared rides continue to play a role in urban transportation?

March 24, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Mass Shooting Protest

'Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste' and Planning in the Pandemic

The latest in a series of compendia collecting news and commentary focusing on the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on communities.

March 23, 2021 - James Brasuell

Florida

Case Study: Florida Road Diet Reduces Crashes, Adds Minimal Congestion

A controversial road diet has faced disapproval from local business owners, but data shows a significant reduction in crashes and a minimal increase in congestion.

March 23, 2021 - WFLA

Infrastructure

Biden Administration Reportedly Crafting a $3 Trillion Infrastructure Package

Just a few days after signing the $1.9 trillion "American Rescue Plan," the Biden administration is reportedly putting together a massive infrastructure spending plan that could overhaul the nation's transportation an energy infrastructure.

March 23, 2021 - The New York Times

Antioch, California

California's 'Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure'

The newly released Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure shifts the state's transportation priorities to focus on clean energy and livability.

March 22, 2021 - Streetsblog California

Orlando Street

Pedestrian Activity Increased Most Outside of Cities in 2020

The locations with the largest increases of pedestrian activity during the pandemic year are all in Florida.

March 22, 2021 - Smart Cities Dive

Bakersfield and Fresno Sign

California Assembly Continues to Debate High-Speed Rail

With a train-friendly administration in Washington, supporters of the project hope that state leaders will make a stronger commitment to funding the full project.

March 21, 2021 - Streetsblog California

Bus Stop Winter

Bus Stop Balancing, Explained

Pierce Transit, which serves Pierce County in Washington State, is undertaking a bus stop balancing project intended to speed up bus service. They're also doing the work of explaining why a reduction of bus stops is desirable, or even necessary.

March 18, 2021 - The Urbanist

Downtown Dallas parking lot

Fixing Decades-Old Parking Regulations in Dallas

Dallas has launched an effort to reform its "burdensome" parking policies, which have been left largely in the hands of local development districts.

March 18, 2021 - D Magazine

Texas Bullet Train

House Bill Would Provide $41 Billion for High-Speed Rail Grants

The "American High-Speed Rail Act" would provide $41 billion in grants and incentives for an additional $38 billion in funding for high-speed rail projects in the United States.

March 18, 2021 - Smart Cities Dive

15 MPH speed limit sign

Virginia Set to Pass Bill Lowering Minimum Speed Limit

The Virginia General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow localities to set speed limits as low as 15 miles per hour.

March 17, 2021 - The Virginia Mercury

720 Bus at Vermont and Wilshire

Simple, Easy Ways to Make the Bus an Economic Recovery Tool

A new report by the Bus Turnaround Coalition has a prescription to "build back better": fix the bus.

March 17, 2021 - AM New York

Gas Pump

Opinion: Gas Taxes Are 'Redlining on Wheels'

With dwindling revenue and a narrow scope for funding projects, it may be time for Washington State to re-evaluate its gas tax in favor of more sustainable revenue sources.

March 17, 2021 - Publicola

LaGuardia Airport

LaGuardia AirTrain, Cuomo's Prize, Enters Final Stages of Planning

An optimistic timetable for the proposed LaGuardia Air Train could see construction begin by the middle of 2021.

March 17, 2021 - StreetsBlog NYC

New York Subway Coronvairus

New York Subway Ridership Sets Pandemic Record High

One of the most hopeful days for public transit in New York City in...well, a year.

March 16, 2021 - Urbanize New York

Traffic Safety Advocates

Zero Traffic Deaths Isn't as Far Fetched as It Sounds

Even supporters of Vision Zero—a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities from roadways adopted by cities and states all over the United States—doubt that such lofty ambitions are possible. But there are plenty of reasons to believe in the cause.

March 15, 2021 - Angie Schmitt

View south along Interstate 45 (North Freeway) from the ramp between westbound Interstate 10 and southbound Interstate 45 in Houston, Harris County, Texas

TxDOT Faces Lawsuit from Harris County Over I-45 Plan

The lawsuit over the controversial I-45 project, which has been plagued by local opposition, calls for a new environmental review.

March 15, 2021 - Houston Chronicle

Looking down from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway runs vertically through the skyline to the Washington Monument by Rudolf Siemering.

Philadelphia Seeks Proposals to Pedestrianize Ben Franklin Parkway

The city hopes for "transformative" solutions to reinvigorate the auto-centric parkway and create safer paths for people walking and biking.

March 14, 2021 - WHYY

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.