Transportation

Regional Transit

Plan to Save Caltrain Emerges

Elected officials in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties have produced a counter proposal after killing a proposed sales tax last week.

July 23, 2020 - The Mercury News

Highway Sign in North Carolina

As the Pandemic Rages, Carnage on U.S. Roads

Increased stress, increased speeds, more drinking and driving—whatever the reason, traffic fatalities are climbing rapidly even as more Americans leave the car parked at home.

July 23, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Rockaway Beach Bus

Three Key Calls to Action to Improve Racial Equity in Transit Policy

Important changes are necessary to promote racial equity in transit policy, governance, and agency recruitment, according to Darnell Grisby, director of policy development at the American Public Transit Association.

July 23, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

Coronavirus and Transportation

Ridership Up, Speeds Down for Buses in New York City

The new normal might be fleeting on buses in New York City, but it's already different than the normal routine during the early months of the pandemic.

July 23, 2020 - StreetsBlog NYC

Oakland

Black Californians Leaving the City and Reshaping the State

Hundreds of thousands of Black Californians are moving away from urban areas, opting for the promise of abundance and opportunity offered by suburban communities, a trend referred to as "California's Black exodus."

July 21, 2020 - Cal Matters

Beltway Traffic

Car-Centric Choices Shortchange the Walkability Goals of the 2010 Tysons Comp Plan

Ten years after Tysons, an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, approved an award winning comprehensive plan, there's still work to be done to achieve its ambitious goals.

July 21, 2020 - The Washington Post

Coronavirus and Transportation

Pandemic Planning Must Reconcile With the Inequities of the Past

The ongoing debate about the role of marginalized communities in the emergency planning programs of the pandemic has now been detailed on the pages of the New York Times.

July 21, 2020 - The New York Times

Congestion

Liberating Cities from Cars

Examining models of progress toward restrictions on the use and storage of automobiles from urban areas around the world.

July 20, 2020 - Joan Fitzgerald

MTA Bus

Visions of a Car-Free Manhattan

In Manhattan, the space devoted to cars and car-related infrastructure takes up an area four times larger than Central Park. What would New York City look like if it divested from cars?

July 20, 2020 - The New York Times

Purple Line Extension

Suburban Maryland Streets Need Pedestrian Improvements for Purple Line Riders

Montgomery County planners recommend the implementation of sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes on streets within a half-mile radius of Purple Line light-rail stations.

July 19, 2020 - The Washington Post

Freeway Underpass Encampment

The Onion Has a Blistering Take on Congress' Idea of a Social Safety Net

The latest foray by The Onion into the world of planning satirizes the American tendency to prioritize highway spending over housing and the homeless.

July 17, 2020 - The Onion

Toll Road

Toll Roads Take $9 Billion in Losses Nationwide

No one lakes toll roads, but everyone relies on the revenue they generate for all kinds of transportation projects.

July 17, 2020 - The Washington Post

Commuter Rail

Caltrain on the Rocks as Sales Tax Measure Fails

Advocates are concerned about the possibility of Caltrain entirely shutting down—less than a year after the commuter rail line seemed positioned for a massive expansion of service.

July 16, 2020 - The Daily Journal

Maryland and Virginia

David Alpert to Step Down at Greater Greater Washington

Leadership change is coming to one of the best local sources of planning news in the country, after Greater Greater Washington founder and executive director David Alpert announced plans to move on.

July 16, 2020 - Greater Greater Washington

Salt Lake City

20 Years Later: Envision Utah's Quality Growth Strategy Deemed a Massive Success

The state of Utah created Envision Utah in the late 1990s to address growth while maintaining quality of life and protecting the environment in the state. The plan set goals for 2020, so it's time to evaluate its success.

July 16, 2020 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Honolulu, Hawaii

Successful Honolulu Open Street Program Extended

Due to its popularity, Honolulu is extending the Kalakaua Open Street Sundays program through the end of July. The program was first launched on June 14 in a collaboration between the city and the Hawaii Bicycling League.

July 15, 2020 - Pacific Business News

Cities for People

Jan Gehl on 60 Years of Designing Cities for People

The 10th anniversary of "Cities for People" offers the occasion for this interview with Jan Gehl, who has devoted a 60-year career to ideas about humanistic city planning—ideas of increasing relevance in 2020.

July 15, 2020 - Jan Gehl

Highway Widening

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Maryland's Big Highway Widening Project Released

The state of Maryland is moving forward with a highway widening plan that would spend $11 billion in a private-partnership to add toll lanes to two Capital Beltway highways.

July 15, 2020 - DCist

New York City Traffic Cop

Federal Inaction Delays Congestion Pricing by at Least a Year in New York City

Bad news for one of the most innovative transportation planning schemes in the country, with long-term impacts on planning and construction in New York City.

July 15, 2020 - New York Daily News

London Bridge

London to Replace 2,000 Car Parking Spots With Bike Storage

London announced another sweeping round of changes to its transportation priority, further cementing the future of active transportation both during and after the pandemic.

July 15, 2020 - Forbes

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.