Transportation

Pedestrian Infrastructure

A 'Curious' New Report on Pedestrian Behavior in Public Spaces

The Seattle Department of Transportation recently released its first-ever public life study.

April 22, 2019 - Streetblog USA

Arlington County

A New Bicycle Master Plan for Arlington County

Arlington County planning staff have worked on a new bicycle master plan for the past two years. The Arlington County Board will consider the new plan this week.

April 21, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Refueling

A Small but Significant Fuel Tax Hike for Arkansas

The 3 cent gas tax and 6 cent diesel tax increases are among the lowest of any states that have hiked fuel taxes since 2013, but combined with other revenue sources in the legislation, plus an upcoming sales tax ballot measure, it's historic.

April 20, 2019 - Talk Business & Politics

Lime Scooter

A Company of Scooter Vigilantes Sparks a Lawsuit

A lawsuit by Bird and Lime against the company Scooter Removal highlights the difficult challenges required to reconcile the private interests of new mobility companies with the access to the public realm on which they depend.

April 20, 2019 - Jalopnik

El Paso Trolleys

What Was Lost When Streetcars Stopped Still Hasn't Been Found

City's don't need vintage streetcars; cities need the frequency and convenience of service delivered by the streetcar lines from days past.

April 19, 2019 - Mobility Lab

New York Bus

'Better Buses Action Plan' Would Give Buses New Priority in New York

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is promising to speed the city's buses by 25 percent by next year.

April 19, 2019 - Crain's New York Business

Chicago Commuter Rail

New Policy Would Likely Close Commuter Rail Stations on the South Side of Chicago

A new station evaluation policy, expected for adoption by the Metra Board of Directors in May, would make it easier to shut down "underperforming" stations.

April 19, 2019 - Streetsblog Chicago

Tacoma Bus Rapid Transit

'Hybrid' Bus Rapid Transit Design Preferred in Tacoma, Washington

A hybrid design (some protected lanes and some mixing with car traffic) is the preferred option for a planned bus rapid transit route on Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, Washington.

April 19, 2019 - The Urbanist

City of Montreal

Montreal Plan to Ban Cars From Major Park Doesn't Stick

Following a fatal collision between a motorist and a competitive cyclist, Montreal tried closing a stretch of roadway through Mount Royal Park. The pilot encountered fierce opposition.

April 19, 2019 - CityLab

New Transit Center Coming to Cincinnati's Northside Neighborhood

The Cincinnati City Council this week approved zoning change to allow for the construction of a transit center at the second busiest bus transit hub in the city.

April 19, 2019 - CityBeat

Metro Transit Green Line

Overnight Light-Rail Service on the Chopping Block Between the Twin Cities

Since 2014, it's been possible to catch a train every hour between 2 am and 4 am on the Green Line connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul. A proposal under consideration at Metro Transit would end late night service,

April 18, 2019 - Pioneer Press

Central Parkway

Civic Crowdfunding to Mitigate 'Bikelash'

Public outcry about the priority given protected bike lanes on streets can be mitigated when civic crowdfunding is part of the planning process, according to this article.

April 18, 2019 - The Conversation

Hyperloop One

Eminent Domain Concerns Raised Over Missouri's Hyperloop Plans

Critics are pointing to a discrepancy between the plan and the reality in terms of how much private property must be acquired through eminent domain to make the state of Missouri's Hyperloop dreams come true.

April 18, 2019 - The Kansas City Star

Florida Bikeshare

The State of Micromobility

The NACTO Bike Share and Micromobility Initiative yesterday published a bunch of data and infographics to explain the state of shared micromobility, defined as station-based bikeshare, dockless bike share, and scooter share.

April 18, 2019 - NACTO

TTC Subway

Reactions to Ontario's Subway Takeover Plan

Last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a plan to replace Toronto's subway expansion plans with a vision of his own. Reactions have been pouring in ever since.

April 17, 2019 - James Brasuell

SEPTA Bus

Transit Ridership Declined Nationally in 2018, APTA Report Finds

The latest data from the American Public Transportation Association reveals the national consequences of many local examples of declining transit use.

April 17, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

On-Demand Shuttle

On-Demand Shuttle Service Launches in Seattle

Residents in southeast Seattle and Tukwila can now make use of Via to Transit on-demand shuttle transit service.

April 17, 2019 - King County

Toronto

King Street Transit Priority Project Now Permanent in Toronto

Transit has priority over cars on King Street in Toronto between Bathurst and Jarvis streets, now and in perpetuity.

April 17, 2019 - Toronto Star

Bike Lane New York

Study: Cars Give Bike Lanes Less Space

A new study provides more evidence that people on bikes need more of a buffer from drivers in cars than a mere strip of paint can offer.

April 16, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

Leesburg, Virginia

Virginia Legislators Agree to Fuel Taxes, not Tolls, to Fund I-81 Improvements

Motorists who purchase gas along the I-81 corridor will pay an additional 2.1 percent gas tax, about seven cents a gallon. Trucks, which disproportionately use the corridor, will see increases to registration fees and road and diesel taxes.

April 16, 2019 - The Winchester Star

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.