Transportation

Scooter Share

More Rights, Fewer Responsibilities, for Electric Scooter Riders in California

A bill that would toss the helmet requirement for adult e- scooter riders and allow them to ride on roads where the speed limit is 35 mph, up from the current limit of 25 mph, is on Governor Jerry Brown's desk. He has until Sept. 30 to decide.

September 4, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Bay Bridge Toll

Another Reason Motorists Should Support Road Tolling

Two things motorists detest: tolls and congestion. Tolls, if effectively applied, lessen congestion, but at a high cost to drivers. However, steep tolls also provide a political incentive to "fix the bottlenecks," as shown by the 66 Express Lanes.

September 4, 2018 - WTOP

Tech Shuttle

Bus Lanes: the City Pays, Should Tech Companies Benefit?

Bus lanes built and policed by the city of San Francisco will be open to private transit buses. Sue Vaughan argues that's a mistake.

September 4, 2018 - The San Francisco Examiner

Los Angeles, California

Editorial: Why Elon Musk’s Tunnel to Dodger Stadium Is a Very Bad Idea

A closer look at a plan for Los Angeles linking Dodger Stadium to the subway points to the proposal’s many flaws.

September 4, 2018 - Urbanize LA

A bus next to the re-located light rail station at Denver's Union Station

Study Details the Traffic Safety Benefits of Public Transit

A new study concludes that not only is transit a safer way to travel, but communities oriented around transit are also safer. As a result, planning approaches that encourage transit also increase traffic safety.

September 4, 2018 - Streetsblog USA

Brooklyn Queens Connector

Brooklyn-Queens Connector Streetcar Plans Released

Plans for the Brooklyn-Queens Connector, otherwise known as the BQX, are still on the table, despite reports of the project's demise.

September 3, 2018 - Crain's New York Business

Bike Share Expanding In Toronto

Mayor John Tory announced a 2018 expansion of bike share that will include 3,750 new bikes and 360 new stations.

September 2, 2018 - Daily Hive

Turnstiles

There's No 'Smart City' Without Smart Payment Technology

Thinking beyond the MetroCard.

September 2, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

COTA Bus

Central Ohio Barely Makes a Dent in Driving Rates

Transportation investment is struggling to keep pace with population growth.

September 1, 2018 - The Columbus Dispatch

Oakland

BART Transit Oriented Development Bill Passed by State Senate

A controversial bill that would free BART to develop housing on the most transit oriented of development sites, its parking lots, has managed to clear the hurdles of the California Legislature.

September 1, 2018 - Curbed SF

MARTA Green Line

Op-Ed: More MARTA Should Mean Less Poverty

With $2.5 billion in new transit funding generated by a half-cent sales tax, Atlanta has choices about the future of its public transit systems. One advocate says investments should target economic mobility for low-income communities.

September 1, 2018 - SaportaReport

Electric Bus

Federal Transit Administration Awards $84.5 Million for Electric Buses

The Low- or No-Emission (Low-No) Grant program has awarded funding to encourage the "deployment of transit buses and infrastructure that use advanced propulsion technologies."

September 1, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

SMART Bus

SMART Recount Called Off; Opponents Concede

The saga of the voter-approved Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation millage appears to have reached a conclusion that will allow bus service to continue in Macomb County, Michigan.

August 31, 2018 - The Detroit Free Press

Freeway Construction

Toll and Tax, or Just Tax, to Pay for Highway Expansion?

A political decision by the Texas Transportation Commission last December to drop projects which included toll lanes was thought to doom 15 road expansions from their 10-year capital plan, but some will go forward with HOV as opposed to HOT lanes.

August 31, 2018 - Austin American-Statesman

Traffic

How Many Days of Your Life Will Be Spent Commuting?

Follow up question: Are you sure you want to know the answer to the first question?

August 31, 2018 - Educated Driver

Houston Metro Bus

A Podcast by Houston's Transit Agency for Houston's Transit Riders

Some people think of Houston as an oil town; other people think of it as a transit town. This podcast is for the second kind of person.

August 31, 2018 - Houston Chronicle

Single-Family Housing Construction

Will Innovative Financing Solve California's Housing Shortage?

Are housing and housing finance two separate problems? California Assemblymember David Chiu and others in housing discuss how available finance tools could be employed to expand the capital pool for affordable housing projects.

August 31, 2018 - The Planning Report

Video: The Case for Free Public Transit

City Beautiful Dave Amos makes the case that everyone—even people who never use transit—would be better off if no one had to pay for public transit.

August 31, 2018 - City Beautiful

Self-Driving Car

Autonomous Vehicles: Planners Aren’t Planning, Just Reacting

When it comes to planning for transformative technologies like autonomous vehicles, urban planners – whose job it is to project and prioritize transportation investments – have fallen behind and the consequences could be severe.

August 31, 2018 - Wisconsin Autonomous Vehicle Proving Ground

Electric Car

Friday Funny: Tesla Invents the Greenest Car

The Fake News website The Onion reports a complete fabrication about Elon Musk and Tesla.

August 31, 2018 - The Onion

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.