Transportation

East Palo Alto

Another Bay Area City Considers Urban Tolling

East Palo Alto has long suffered the toll that transbay traffic has imposed on this gateway to Silicon Valley from the East Bay in the form of air pollution and traffic congestion. Now the city is considering tolling the traffic.

October 23, 2019 - (Palo Alto) Daily Post

Lime Scooters

Report: Lime Likely to Lose $300 Million in 2019

Investigative journalism by The Information reveals troubling financial data at one of the largest and most visible electric scooter rental companies.

October 23, 2019 - The Information

New York MTA

New York MTA Reports Service, Ridership Improvements

Capital investments are paying off in increased ridership, according to new data from the New York MTA.

October 23, 2019 - Curbed New York

Portland Sidewalk

Google Maps for iPhone Now Reports DUI Checkpoints, Speed Traps

Navigation app Waze has long allowed users the ability to report various "inconveniences" on the road, like speed traps, checkpoints, and crashes. Now Google Maps users on iPhone can do the same.

October 22, 2019 - The Washington Post

California

U.S. Air Quality Declining, Taking Lives

Particulate matter air pollution has been on the rise since 2017, according to new research. Wildfires, economic activity, and lax regulation are potentially to blame.

October 22, 2019 - Bloomberg

Crash

Traffic Fatalities Declining, But Not for Pedestrians and People on Bikes

After several years of increasing traffic fatalities, the total numbers of people killed by cars every year in the United States is finally declining. The same can't be said for pedestrians and people on bikes.

October 22, 2019 - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

South Mall Parking Lot

How Parking Reform Could Relieve the Housing Crisis

The benefits of equitable mobility policy will extend to equitable housing outcomes, according to this article published by Sidewalk Labs.

October 22, 2019 - Sidewalk Talk

Atlanta Braves Baseeball Stadium

Another Pedestrian Bridge Connecting to a Professional Sports Stadium in Atlanta

The city of Smyrna wants to benefit from the $1 billion in investment coming to the area around SunTrust Park in Cobb County, Georgia, so it's helping pay for a pedestrian bridge to connect to the ballpark.

October 22, 2019 - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Gothenburg TRam

Free 'Test Rides' Win Transit Riders

The "Test Rides" program in Sweden is showing success in getting people to drive less and take transit more.

October 22, 2019 - Fast Company

Red Light Camera

Editorial: Reform, Don't Ban, Red Light Camera Programs

The Chicago Sun-Times responds to two Illinois state legislators who have recently proposed bills that would ban red light cameras statewide.

October 21, 2019 - Chicago Sun-Times

Downtown Portland

Portland Ready to Experiment With New Forms of Road Pricing

A new task force formed in Portland, Oregon will consider ways to make automobile use more expensive, including parking pricing, area and time-based fees, fleet charges, road user charges, cordons, and freeway pricing.

October 21, 2019 - Bike Portland

Electric Scooter Joicer

Scooter Rides Aren't So Cheap Anymore

Although electric scooter rental companies won't confirm the reasoning behind price increases for scooter rides in the Washington, D.C. region, it's likely the same story will be repeated in other regions as well.

October 21, 2019 - The Washington Post

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

L.A.'s Blue Line Reopening Soon, With a New Name

The Blue Line light rail line, connecting Los Angeles and Long Beach, is almost finished with a $350 million repair program. When it reopens to service it will be called the A Line.

October 21, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles, California

L.A. Wants Fewer Parking Podiums

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission has approved a new Advisory Notice regarding above grade parking, in the hopes of limiting the massive parking podiums proliferating around the city.

October 20, 2019 - Urbanize Los Angeles

Painted Bus Lane

Where to Prioritize Buses Next

Advocates in New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle are pushing for more transit and pedestrian priority, and less car-centric streets, as a wave of high-profile projects capture national attention.

October 20, 2019 - Brooklyn Paper

Flying Cars

A Transit Consultant's Take on Flying Cars

A journalist asked, so Jarrett Walker answered.

October 19, 2019 - Human Transit

Canadian Election

More Than One North American Political Campaign Ignoring Housing and Transit

When it comes to ignoring matters of housing affordability and public transit during an election cycle of great significance, the United States is not the exception. Candidates in Canada's 2019 Federal Election have mastered the same trick.

October 19, 2019 - The Star

San Francisco, California

Social Equity Cited in Veto of California Road Pricing Bill

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a unique road pricing bill due to concerns that charging a fee would limit access to driving on two blocks of Lombard Street, a popular tourist attraction in San Francisco that is severely congested.

October 18, 2019 - ABC KGO TV 7 - San Francisco

Empty Subway

New Commute Data: Telecommuting on the Rise

The news from the most recent American Community Survey data isn't entirely bad for advocates hoping that Americans will switch to more efficient, less impactful forms of commuting.

October 18, 2019 - Eno Center for Transportation

Ca73

Governor's Transportation and Climate Actions Stir Controversy in California

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order last month directing state agencies to consider climate goals in their spending and operations. Two weeks later, three highway widening projects were deleted, and locals are crying foul.

October 18, 2019 - Streetsblog California

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.