Transportation

Amazon Warehouse

Business Booming, Amazon Plans Big Real Estate Expansion

Amazon is moving more moving more products than ever, and the company is expanding its physical footprint to keep up with the trends.

December 8, 2020 - The Boston Globe

Uber Autonomous Vehicle

Uber Bails on Autonomous Vehicles

One of the highest-profile, and most legally fraught, efforts to beat the competition into the autonomous vehicles market is now defunct.

December 8, 2020 - The New York Times

Montgomery County

Montgomery County Charts a New Path with 'Thrive 2050'

A new plan under development in Montgomery County, Maryland plots a course change for the famously suburban county.

December 8, 2020 - Greater Greater Washington

COVID-19

Nine Months Later: How the Pandemic Is Changing Communities

Planetizen shares the latest in a series of compendia tackling the effects of the pandemic, now and in the future, for cities and communities.

December 8, 2020 - James Brasuell

Light Rail Transit Rendering

Environmental Review for Light Rail Through The Valley Approved

The B Line subway includes two stops in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, but other than that, commuter rail and buses are the only options for transit. New light rail plans could change that.

December 7, 2020 - The Source

New Orleans

New Orleans Planning a Pedestrian-Friendly Makeover of the French Quarter

Pedestrian improvements are planned as an economic development opportunity in one of the most pedestrian-friendly places in the entire country—the French Quarter of New Orleans.

December 7, 2020 - WDSU

Silver Line

To Dream the Impossible Transit Dream

The dream of high-quality, zero-emission transit in all large U.S. cities is possible.

December 6, 2020 - Urban Institute

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

Beltway Traffic

Connecting Maryland and Virginia By Transit

Bethesda and Tysons, in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia, respectively, look like neighbors on a map, but they lack a direct transit route. That could change.

December 4, 2020 - Greater Greater Washington

Ambulance

Hospitals and Healthcare Workers Brace for Influx of COVID Patients

Coronavirus infections, while at record-high levels, have decreased during the past week, unlike hospitalizations, which are still surging. Public health experts expect it to get a lot worse due to the Thanksgiving holiday travel.

December 3, 2020 - Bloomberg News

Portland, Oregon

Columbia River Crossing Back From the Dead With a New Name and Potential Changes

2021 will be a big year for planning on the Interstate Bridge Replacement project, née Columbia River Crossing, that will connect Washington and Oregon across the Columbia River.

December 3, 2020 - The Urbanist

Lake Michigan

Lessons From the Viral Video of Lake Michigan Taking Out a Bike Commuter

Climate change will only increase the frequency of incidents like the one captured by a television news station in Chicago earlier this week.

December 3, 2020 - Bicycling

Capitol Hill

More Transit Agencies Propose Cuts; Congress Finally Takes Notice

The stakes in the economic stimulus package under consideration on Capitol Hill this week are incredibly high.

December 3, 2020 - The Washington Post

Seattle

Researchers Flaunt the Benefits of Reduced Minimum Parking Requirements

Seattle is one of the U.S. cities shrinking minimum parking requirements to allow for denser, more affordable development near transit.

December 2, 2020 - Transfers Magazine

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

Pedestrian Crosswalk

U.S. DOT Releases First-Ever Pedestrian Safety Plan

Record numbers of pedestrians have been killed by drivers in recent years. The federal government says a "team effort" will be necessary to stop the carnage.

December 2, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Muni Bus Overhead Wire

The Transit Catastrophe Continues: San Francisco, D.C. Forecast Service Cuts, Layoffs

Advocates have been waiting for the other shoe to drop as transit agencies deal with cratered revenues during the pandemic without support from Congress.

December 1, 2020 - San Francisco Examiner

Stormwater

Cars Pollute in More Ways Than One

Tires wear down and shed toxic microplastics into stormwater, which eventually ends up in rivers and the ocean. Recent research sheds new light on the extent of the damage.

December 1, 2020 - Hakai Magazine

Washington State

Connecting Light Rail Plans to Affordable Housing Opportunities

To keep up with affordable housing demand, Snohomish County needs to add 200,000 units by 2050. Planned light rail stations could be the ticket.

December 1, 2020 - The Urbanist

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.