Transportation

A map showing a heat map that represents commute times in an urban area.

Smart Growth Loves Heatmaps

Smart growth can provide many important benefits that are easy to see using informative and beautiful heatmaps—our complex world as viewed by all-knowing gods.

September 20, 2021 - Todd Litman

High-Speed Rail

California Legislature Stalls on High-Speed Rail, Delays Funding for Other Projects

State legislators' refusal to pass HSR funding will return hundreds of millions slated for active transportation and other projects to the state's general fund.

September 20, 2021 - Streetsblog California

Commute

Long Commutes in Seattle Fell Sharply During the Pandemic

The number of people commuting 20 minutes or more each way dropped by close to half a million, while short commutes rose slightly.

September 20, 2021 - Seattle Times

New York City Subway

New York Subway Sets Pandemic Ridership Record

With school back in session and Broadway shows open to the public, subway ridership is surging in New York City, but still well below pre-pandemic levels.

September 20, 2021 - New York Post

Rendering of Culdesac Tempe development

Nation's First 'Zero-Driving Community' Takes Shape in Tempe

Slated to open in 2022, Culdesac Tempe contractually forbids personal vehicles from parking within a quarter-mile radius of the project site.

September 19, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

A performer holding numerous instruments plays for a crowd in the New York Subway.

Friday Eye Candy: The Theatricality of the Subway

A new book of photography amplifies what was already there.

September 17, 2021 - The Washington Post

A map showing a heat map that represents commute times in an urban area.

Getting to Work: New Commute Duration Heatmaps

The Mineta Transportation Institute's new interactive website produces heatmaps that illustrate commute duration—the number of minutes that workers spend traveling to their jobs—plus related information, for most U.S. communities.

September 16, 2021 - Mineta Transportation Institute

DART Bus

Dallas Bus System Overhaul Rolling Out in January. Will it Succeed?

The Dallas City Council recently approved a long-awaited and much-delayed bus system redesign for DART. Riders should require fewer transfers and shorter wait times starting in January 2022.

September 16, 2021 - The Dallas Morning News

Electric Scooter Share

D.C. Plans More Regulations for Micromobility Operators

Operators are pushing back against new proposed rules that some say could 'kneecap' the District's micromobility industry.

September 16, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Rendering of Marion Street bridge

Renderings Show Seattle Waterfront's Two New Pedestrian Bridges

The Marion Street and Union Street bridges showcase two vastly different designs for improving pedestrian access.

September 15, 2021 - The Urbanist

Aerial Texas Hill Country at sunset, with an aerial view of a highway interchange and Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas.

Austin Interstate Expansion Plan Draws Opposition

A proposal to widen I-35 has drawn criticism from community members who want to see the city shift away from car-centric development.

September 15, 2021 - Texas Signal

Lynx Light Rail

New Light Rail Station Coming to Charlotte

A new station will be added to the Lynx Blue Line light rail route in a quickly growing, industrial part of the city.

September 15, 2021 - The Charlotte Observer

Police

Chicago Police Stop Seven Times as Many Black Drivers as White Motorists

A state-produced study of traffic stops in the city reveals that traffic stops in the city have risen sharply, with Black motorists pulled over at much higher rates than their white counterparts.

September 15, 2021 - Streetsblog Chicago

New York MTA Bus

How Free Fares Could Benefit Bus Drivers

Free transit would reduce boarding times and improve working conditions for bus drivers, the 'frontline workers' responsible for fare collection and enforcement.

September 14, 2021 - NextCity

Starship Technologies

Are Robots Coming to a Sidewalk Near You?

Since 2017, 32 bills regulating or permitting "personal delivery devices"—sidewalk robots—have been introduced in 27 states.

September 14, 2021 - Next City

Chicago Three-Flats

Research Shows '15-Minute City' Not Enough to Guarantee Equity

A study of Chicago neighborhoods showed that access to urban amenities does not necessarily correlate with improved economic outcomes.

September 14, 2021 - Streetsblog Chicago

San Diego Trolley

San Diego Continues to Widen Roads Despite Pledge to Reduce Car Dependence

Transit advocates say that outdated road widening plans contradict the city's Climate Action Plan.

September 14, 2021 - KPBS

Congestion

What Will It Take for the U.S. to Kick the Car Habit?

Government played a big role in creating the car-centric United States that exists today. Climate change requires that government take the lead in reducing automobile dominance.

September 14, 2021 - Vox

Noise

Study Links Transportation Noise to High Rates of Dementia and Alzheimer's

A large nationwide cohort study in Denmark found "transportation noise from road traffic and railways to be associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia and dementia subtypes, especially Alzheimer’s disease."

September 14, 2021 - The Guardian

Northern California Toll Lane

What Is Congestion Pricing?

Congestion pricing raises the cost of driving on certain roadways at certain times, reducing traffic,encouraging alternate transportation modes, and generating revenue from the use of infrastructure.

September 13, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

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.

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.