Transportation

Roanoke

Bus Station Plan Moves Forward Despite Controversy in Roanoke

Angry public outcry wasn't enough to stop the Roanoke City Council from unanimously approving an ambitious transit station reconfiguration in downtown Roanoke.

January 24, 2019 - The Roanoke Times

Electric Car Charging Stencil

New Colorado Governor's First Executive Order: Get More EVs on the Road

Colorado will join California and nine other states in requiring that a percentage of new light-duty vehicle sales are zero-emissions, thanks to the first executive order signed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis on Jan. 17.

January 23, 2019 - Colorado Politics

Pedestrian Safety

Dangerous By Design: Streets Are Only Getting Less Safe for Pedestrians

The latest edition of the annual report by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition reports more and more death and tragedy on American streets and roads.

January 23, 2019 - CityLab

BART Station

Study: Uber and Lyft Have Been Catastrophic for Public Transit Ridership

The most damning evidence yet of how ride hailing is making urban transportation less efficient, not more.

January 23, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

Alaskan Way Viaduct

The Carmageddon Myth

Seattle recently closed the Alaskan Way Viaduct, but the predicted traffic chaos hasn’t ensued.

January 23, 2019 - City Commentary

Freeway

Big Surprise: Congestion Pricing Tolls Don't Poll Well

As Seattle prepares a possible cordon area congestion pricing plan to tackle both traffic congestion and climate change, The Seattle Times did a poll on two applications of congestion pricing: urban tolls and adding express toll lanes to freeways.

January 23, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Proterra Electric Bus

Battery-Electric Buses Might Not Be Quite Ready for Prime Time

Companies are marketing battery-electric buses as the transit vehicles of the future, but there is still much room for improvement.

January 22, 2019 - CityLab

Cars

Learning from the National Household Travel Survey

The Federal Highway Administration's National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) shows that transit use is rising and household vehicle miles traveled are declining—but other data sources paint a more ambiguous picture.

January 22, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

Divvy Chicago

Public Engagement and Bike Share Planning

New York and Chicago asked residents to suggest sites for new docking stations. Most were not put at those locations, but that doesn’t mean collecting public input is not a useful and important part of the planning process, say researchers.

January 22, 2019 - CityLab

Las Vegas Sprawl

Video: Urban Planning Trends to Watch in 2019

Feeling a little "tl;dr" about the "Urban Planning Trends to Watch in 2019" article published by Planetizen earlier this month?

January 21, 2019 - Planetizen via YouTube

Multi-Modal

Comparing the Progress of Cities in Providing Alternatives to the Car Commute

A new online tool allows cities to measure progress in providing access to alternative forms of transportation.

January 21, 2019 - Fast Company

Palmer Apartments

Transit Agency Chief to Propose Congestion Pricing for Los Angeles

Los Angeles Metro CEO Phil Washington will recommend to his board next Thursday that they pursue a congestion pricing program to reduce traffic congestion, improve transit, and subsidize transit fares in Los Angeles in time for the 2028 Olympics.

January 21, 2019 - Curbed Los Angeles

Dam Inspection

Inland Waterways Looking for a Comeback

Inland waterways have capacity to spare to help deal with an expected surge in freight movement around the country. Some TLC will be required to maximize that potential, however.

January 20, 2019 - Eno Center for Transportation

TransMilenio Bus Rapid Transit

Seattle Rebrands its Planned Bus Rapid Transit System: Stride

Branding and bus rapid transit go hand in hand.

January 20, 2019 - The Urbanist

Meter

New Taxi Fee Could Have Lethal Consequences

New York City's ailing taxi industry is fighting what they call a "suicide surcharge," a new $2.50 fee they will be forced to charge riders below 95th Street in Manhattan. Eight drivers have already taken their lives as their business suffers.

January 20, 2019 - The New York Times

TTC Subway

Plan to Speed Up Relief Line Construction Pitched in Toronto

Toronto Mayor John Tory is intervening in transit plans with a call to speed up spending and the construction timeline for the relief line, designed to relieve crowding on the city's subway system in the urban core.

January 19, 2019 - The Star

Maryland Transit Administration

Another Lawsuit Complicates Purple Line Plans in Maryland

The 16-mile Purple Line light rail project, which connects Maryland suburbs in Montgomery and Prince George's counties to the D.C. Metro Gold, Red, and Orange lines, is facing a new lawsuit.

January 19, 2019 - The Washington Post

Bill Would Make California's Urban State HIghways Safer for Non-Motorists

Sen. Scott Wiener introduced legislation to make state highways that run through villages, town, and cities, often acting as main streets, accommodate the safety needs of walkers, cyclists, and transit users when undergoing capital improvements.

January 19, 2019 - Streetsblog California

Self-Driving Car

AV Investments Outpacing Consumer Demand: Report

For all the money pouring into autonomous vehicle technology, the public is still relatively unconvinced about the viability of the technology.

January 19, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Highway Signs

Chicago's Pace Wants to Put More Buses on the Highway

In a city where bus ridership has been declining for years, Pace has found success on the expressway.

January 18, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

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.