Transportation

New York City Rail Line

Historic Rail Line, Part of the Triboro RX Plan, Considered for Passenger Rail

A rail corridor that carried passengers from 1876 until 1924, and only freight since, could handle passenger traffic again through a plan under consideration by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

October 18, 2019 - Brooklyn Eagle

Dealer

Reports of the Automobile's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Clearly, the American love affair with the automobile is far from over, despite lessons from the recession, dire environmental warnings, plummeting traffic safety, or the wishful thinking of tech companies.

October 17, 2019 - Wired

Salt Lake City, Utah

Survey Says: Fear of Cars Drives Scooter Riders to Sidewalks

An email survey of scooter riders in Salt Lake City would seem to make the case for more robust investment in high-quality active transportation infrastructure.

October 17, 2019 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Minnesota State Capitol

Rethinking Speed Limits in the Twin Cities

Minneapolis and St. Paul are celebrating their newfound local control on matters of traffic safety be reconsidering the speed limits on city-owned streets and roads.

October 16, 2019 - MinnPost

Washington Monuments

New for 2019: A Congressional Caucus for Public Transit

A new congressional caucus has been formed under the assumption that federal transportation policy is regressive and discriminatory.

October 16, 2019 - WBZ News Radio

Rental Cars

Watch: The Car-Centric Legal System, Explained

So many subsidies ensure the dominance of the automobile in the daily live of the United States, it's hard to keep track of them all. Law Professor Greg Shill is keeping track, however.

October 16, 2019 - THINK

Streetcar

Car-Free Market Street Approved in San Francisco

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors approved the Better Market Street plan on October 15, 2019.

October 16, 2019 - San Francisco Examiner

Los Angeles Light Rail

Light Rail Could Finally Get Priority Over Cars at Intersections in Los Angeles

The city of Los Angeles controls the streets and the intersections crossed by the Expo Line as its connects Downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monic and the beach. The city has made its first progress toward prioritizing trains. at those intersections

October 16, 2019 - Urbanize Los Angeles

Image of transit oriented development around Union Station in Denver.

The Benefits of Transit to Real Estate Values

A new study, jointly produced by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), finds evidence of dramatic increases in the value of real estate located proximate to public transit.

October 16, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Electric Scooters

Self-Scooting Scooter Startup Wants to Solve Clutter Problem

Autonomous micromobility could solve some of dockless bike and scooter share companies' largest remaining challenges, like the local availability of scooters and conformity to local and federal regulations.

October 16, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Wisconsin Public Transit

Transit Dreams Follow 'Wheel Tax' Proposal in Madison

After Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway proposed a $40 "wheel tax," otherwise known as a vehicle registration fee, the debate heated up about what the revenue could fund, or whether it's necessary at all.

October 15, 2019 - Channel 3000

Interstate 285 Interchange

Georgia's $11 Billion Road-Building Program Evolves

Recently announced changes to a massive road-building program in Georgia will shift moves projects aimed at improvements for the trucking industry earlier onto the calendar, while pushing back projects located closer to Atlanta.

October 15, 2019 - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Lombard Street San Francisco

Crooked Lombard Street Won't Be Tolled After All

Another of the surprising roster of vetoes by California Governor Gavin Newsom over the weekend includes a bill that would have set limitations for traffic on San Francisco's Lombard Street.

October 15, 2019 - Associated Press via The Mercury News

Tysons Corner Parking Lot

Reducing Parking Requirements for Huge, Regional Malls

Fairfax County, Virginia is considering a change to its parking requirements that would lower the number of parking spots at large malls like Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria.

October 15, 2019 - Tysons Reporter

Electric Scooters

Scooter Pilot Comes to a Close in Chicago

Chicago's heavily debated electric scooter rental pilot comes to a close today. The debate about how to treat electric scooter rentals in the future also begins today.

October 15, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Delmar Loop

Loop Trolley on the Ropes in St. Louis

Extremely poor ridership might be dooming the St. Louis Loop Trolley less than a year after it opened to the public.

October 14, 2019 - St. Louis Riverfront Times

San Francisco, California

Governor's Veto Kills Complete Streets Requirements for Caltrans

California Governor Gavin Newsom over the weekend vetoed a bill that would have required the state's department of transportation to consider public transit as well as bike and pedestrian infrastructure when planning projects on state-owned roads.

October 14, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Manhattan Bus Transit

Miracle on 14th Street

Predictions of carmageddon have not come to pass after New York City blocked most car traffic of a section of 14th Street in Manhattan to make way for buses.

October 14, 2019 - The New York Times

Woman on Transit

The Case for Gender Mainstreaming in Transportation Planning

Like the curb cut effect achieved by the Americans With Disabilities Act, which benefitted a much larger cross-section of the population than the legislation originally intended, gender mainstreaming could multiply benefits in the public realm.

October 14, 2019 - MinnPost

High-Speed Rail

Conflicts of Interest on the CA High-Speed Rail Authority Under Investigation

The beleaguered plan to build a bullet train to connect Northern California and Southern California suffered a public relations setback last month when it was revealed that a boardmember was under investigation for a conflict of interest.

October 13, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

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.