Transportation

A freeway sign for an intersection showing Interstate 85 for Durham on the left and Interstate 40 for Raleigh on the right.

Research Triangle Region Cuts Back Highway Widening Plans

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization accomplished a major shift in transportation planning priorities.

March 2, 2022 - News & Observer

Mural

As Projected Beltline Costs Rise, Atlanta Considers Other Options

MARTA's light rail project could cost more than twice original estimates, prompting the agency to weigh different routes and the potential for bus rapid transit as an alternative to rail.

March 2, 2022 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Charlotte Light Rail

Charlotte Transit Agency Calls for New Sales Tax To Improve Service

The agency's CEO says the system needs more funding to make service improvements and make the shift to an electrified fleet.

March 1, 2022 - WFAE

Conceptual rendering of the California High-Speed Rail project in Pacheco Pass.

Environmental Review Complete for Key Northern California Section of High-Speed Rail Project

The San Jose to Merced Project Section Final Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Impact Statement could be approved by April 21.

March 1, 2022 - California High-Speed Rail Authority

Two young people wear masks while standing outside in Florida.

CDC Relaxes Guidance to Allow Most Americans to Ditch Masking

In a major reversal, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised the metrics and thresholds that determine when masking is recommended. Only 5% of counties met the old metric on Feb. 25; now 70% of Americans need not don a mask indoors.

March 1, 2022 - The Washington Post

Ivy-covered stone wall and cover of Resilience Matters e-book

Resilience Matters: Opportunities for Action to Strengthen Communities

In this hopeful and frustrating year, contributors to the Island Press Urban Resilience Project celebrate our collective progress and challenges in a new free book of short and sweet articles, op-eds, and interviews. Essential reading for planners!

March 1, 2022 - Resilience Matters: Opportunities for Action to Strengthen Communities

A narrow, one-way street is lined with businesses.

Berkeley's Famed Telegraph Avenue Could Go Car Free

Among the options on the table for the Southside Complete Streets Project is a configuration that would turn Telegraph Avenue near the campus of UC Berkeley into a pedestrian, bike, and transit-only plaza.

February 28, 2022 - The Mercury News

Bike Traffic

Paris To Ban Most Cars in 'Quiet Zone'

Continuing Mayor Anne Hidalgo's efforts to make Paris more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, the city plans to implement a 'car-light' zone in the city center that prohibits through traffic.

February 28, 2022 - Fast Company

East Nashville

Nashville Releases 5-Year 'WalknBike' Plan

The plan lays out the city's plans for improving its bike infrastructure and sidewalk network.

February 28, 2022 - News Channel 5 Nashville

 Building in Washington Avenue Historic District

Why a Complete Streets Makeover Went Awry in Philadelphia

The city pulled the plug on a proposed street redesign after community groups criticized the public engagement process for not listening to all local voices.

February 28, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

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

Houston Interstate Widening Continues To Threaten Communities

The proposed freeway expansion in downtown Houston has faced searing backlash from local residents who see the project as a relic of the era of rampant freeway construction and neighborhood disruption.

February 28, 2022 - CBS News

Denver Regional Transit

Underwhelming FasTracks Plan Inspires Transit History Lesson in Denver

FasTracks, one of the most ambitious long-term transit plans in the U.S., has been underway for over 15 years. With the finish line in sight, some locals wonder how useful the new hub-and-spoke system (regional routes connecting to downtown) will be.

February 28, 2022 - Denverite

Mobility App

How One Ride-Hailing Company Is Encouraging a Shift to Micromobility

A small change in the design of ride-hailing apps can make users more likely to choose walking or biking for short trips.

February 27, 2022 - Fast Company

New York Subway Stairs

Subways as Shelters

Subways in Kyiv and Kharkiv are performing as bomb shelters, including the world's deepest station, after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Wednesday night.

February 27, 2022 - Quartz

OCTA Bus

Free Student Transit Now Permanent in Orange County

After a successful pilot program, the OCTA will permanently offer free bus rides to youth ages 6 to 18.

February 25, 2022 - Orange County Transportation Authority

Rendering of Proposed Confluence Parkway at Wenatchee River

Rural Washington's Infrastructure Wishlist

Rural Washington communities want to see federal infrastructure funding allocated to projects in the historically neglected eastern parts of the state.

February 25, 2022 - Investigate West

Traffic Lights

How 'Liberty Politics' Cripples Road Safety Projects

Some states and cities are citing personal liberty and constitutional rights to oppose automated traffic enforcement and other road safety measures.

February 25, 2022 - The Deseret News

Seattle Downtown

Seattle Rule Change Makes it Easier to Add Crosswalks

Rather than looking at current pedestrian counts, the city will use a newly developed set of 'pedestrian generators' to evaluate the need for new painted crosswalks.

February 24, 2022 - The Urbanist

Intercity Buses

The Road Forward: Cost-Effective Policy Measures To Decrease Emissions From Passenger Land Transport

This new 165-page book, available free, is a resource for identifying practical, cost-effective policies for reducing passenger transport emissions on land, and especially in urban areas.

February 24, 2022 - The Road Forward: Cost-effective Policy Measures To Decrease Emissions From Passenger Land Transport

Manhattan Bus

Fair Fares Program Criticized for Eligibility Threshold

Critics of the city's transit assistance program say limiting eligibility to people living at or below the federal poverty line excludes many low-income New Yorkers who depend on public transit.

February 24, 2022 - NY City Lens

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.

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

Senior Planner

Eagle County Government

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.