Transportation

Road Diet

Major Street Reconfiguration Underway in Detroit

A $1 million project to reduce vehicle lanes on Detroit's Jefferson Boulevard is designed to increase safety along the busy corridor.

May 17, 2018 - Crain's Detroit Business

Millennials

'Little Evidence of a Substantial Cultural Turn' Away from Driving Among Millennials

According to an analysis of U.S. National Travel Surveys, the Millennial preference for non-automotive travel is mostly hype. Millennials show behavior similar to other age groups and respond to the economy.

May 16, 2018 - Transfers

San Mateo Bikeshare

Bike to Work and Live Longer

A large scale study conducted in the U.K. shows biking to work leads to a longer life, despite dangers on the roads.

May 16, 2018 - Streetsblog USA

Pasadena Bike Infrastructure

Shouting Down Road Diets

In car-dependent communities, road diets and bike lanes can be a tough sell.

May 15, 2018 - CityLab

North Carolina

How to Save Charlotte's Dying Bus System

The epidemic of falling ridership has struck no American city as hard as Charlotte, but there's plenty that could be done to recover.

May 15, 2018 - The Charlotte Observer

Sports Utility Vehicle

SUV Boom May Be Tied to Jump in Pedestrian Deaths

The number of fatalities from SUVs is up more than 80 percent in the United States since 2009.

May 15, 2018 - Jalopnik

Refueling

Car Manufacturers Worried After Trump Administration Gave More Than Expected

The auto industry lobby is meeting with Trump Administration officials to convince them to ease off the throttle.

May 14, 2018 - The New York Times

Chicago Commuter Rail

Chicago's Metra Will Try One-Day Pass

Along with a scheme to simplify fares, Metra will roll out a one-day pass and a set of federally mandated safety updates.

May 14, 2018 - The Chicago Tribune

Driving

The Future of the American Auto Industry: Not Cars

The American passenger vehicle fleet is being transformed into bigger, fuel-thirstier, and more dangerous models (for those hit by them). Americans have shown a preference for light trucks, and manufacturers are responding by ditching cars.

May 14, 2018 - Car and Driver

Food Trucks

Defeating SB 827 Did Not Discourage the YIMBY Movement

Though the California housing bill was a high-profile failure for pro-development activists, there are initiatives all over the country that carry its spirit.

May 14, 2018 - CityLab

Elon Musk Gigafactory

Behold: Elon Musk's First Tunnel

Take a first look at the fruits of the Boring Company's labor. According to Elon Musk, the tunnel will be open to the public for free rides later this year.

May 14, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Brightline

Brightline Ready to Run the Fast Trains in Florida

The privately funded Brightline "fast-travel" rail system announced an opening day of May 19 for service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.

May 14, 2018 - Miami Herald

School Buses

Campaign Launched to Electrify School Buses

U.S. PIRG wants states to use funding from multi-billion dollar Volkswagen settlements to convert the nation's school bus fleet, 95% of which is diesel-powered, to zero-emission buses to reduce children's exposure to toxic air pollution.

May 13, 2018 - U.S. Pirg

London Bus

UK's Labour Party Proposes Free Bus Fare for All People Under 25

Young people make less money and spend a greater share of their incomes on transit than their older peers. Labour thinks subsidizing travel for young people could be a boost to young people and the economy.

May 13, 2018 - The Guardian

E-Scooters

Plugging in Scooters for a Living

Electric scooters need maintenance and charges, so Bird is using the gig economy to make sure its scooters keep scooting.

May 12, 2018 - Curbed

Scramble Tokyo

'Barnes Dance' Coming to Montgomery County, Maryland

While popular and common in other countries, the "Barnes Dance" crosswalk is sill catching on in the United States. Montgomery County, Maryland is the latest to test out the "All Direction" crosswalk.

May 11, 2018 - Montgomery County Government

Starship Technologies

Delivery Robots Get Legal Status in Washington, D.C.

A delivery drone pilot launched in Washington, D.C. in 2016 has been expanded for further deployment.

May 10, 2018 - Washington Business Journal

American Dream Miami

The Largest Mall in America Looks Bound for Approval

The developers of the Mall of America are back, this time with plans for the American Dream Miami project.

May 10, 2018 - Miami Herald

D.C. Metro

SafeTrack Over, Metro D.C.'s Ridership Continues to Decline

Greater Greater Washington's "Metro Reasons" column analyses the latest ridership data from the D.C. Metro system. Riders have not returned to the system after the SafeTrack repair program concluded in 2017.

May 10, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

San Francisco Tunnel Boring Machine

Contractor Allegedly Lays 3 Miles of the Wrong Steel; Delays for S.F.'s Central Subway Ensue

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency ordered high-strength steel to ensure the long-term quality of the under-construction Central Subway. The contractor laid 17,000 linear feet of standard-strength steel anyway.

May 10, 2018 - San Francisco Examiner

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.