Transportation

NYC Subway Construction

Feds to Investigate Transit Project Costs

The Government Accountability Office will investigate why it costs so much more to build transit in the United States than anywhere else in the world. Perhaps this could be the change of systematic change.

March 29, 2018 - The New York Times

Disable Access

Tech Partnerships Seek Greater Mobility for the Disabled

Tech-focused civic partnerships may be one way to unlock greater urban mobility for disabled people. Tools in the works include navigation apps with specialized sound cues and "smart canes" that interact with invisible paint.

March 29, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Senior Pedestrians

AARP Announces 'Quick-Action' Community Challenge Grant

The program funds projects that improve mobility and livability "for all ages."

March 29, 2018 - Streetsblog California

D.C. Streetcar

D.C. Mayor Proposes Tax Increase on Ride-Hailing to Fund Transit

Mayor Bowser's 2019 budget also continues investments designed to create affordable housing and distribute homeless shelters throughout the city.

March 29, 2018 - The Washington Post

Jaguar Self-Driving Car

Waymo Wants to Provide a 'Self-Driving Vehicle Tailored to Every Trip' (So Why Not Buses?)

Automated vehicle tech frontrunner Waymo is teaming up with Jaguar to offer a luxury self-driving vehicle for "car lovers." Why not partner with bus manufacturers to offer self-driving buses for city lovers?

March 29, 2018 - Antonio Loro

Times Square New York

A Strong Voice of Support for Value Capture to Fund Subway Repair

In an opinion for City & State, Kathryn Wylde, president of the nonprofit Partnership for New York City, makes the case that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority should be allowed to tax properties where value is enhanced by subway proximity.

March 28, 2018 - City & State

Hyperloop

Elon Musk Company Closes in on Chicago's Airport Express

The announcement of the finalists to build the O'Hare Express has critics even more concerned about the project's viability.

March 28, 2018 - Streetsblog Chicago

Los Angeles Homeless

L.A. Metro’s Homeless Outreach Teams Report Back

The transit agency's year-long experiment with homeless services has placed 19 people in permanent housing and spurred hopes of expanding the program.

March 28, 2018 - KPCC

Highway Living

Outcomes of the Federal Highway Program: Inequality and Polarization

It's a vicious cycle: highways enable white flight, establishing a power base for a political party opposed to urban transportation systems.

March 28, 2018 - Stanford News

The Mission

New Lyft Program Puts a 'Geofence' Around Busy Streets

The Lyft geofencing pilot in San Francisco will direct drivers to less busy side streets for pick ups and drop offs.

March 27, 2018 - Mission Local

Automated Vehicles

Autonomous Vehicle Reality

Planners must be realistic. Autonomous vehicles will probably provide smaller net benefits, including safety benefits, than optimists predict.

March 27, 2018 - Todd Litman

Tudor City

Value Capture Replaces Congestion Pricing as Governor Cuomo's Subway Funding Fix

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) appears to be backing away from a controversial plan to toll midtown Manhattan but shows no reservations about embracing land value capture, which some regard as a "taking" by taxing land proximate to subway stations.

March 26, 2018 - Politico New York

Text and Drive

Study Finds Rampant Distracted Driving

A study by Zendrive examines how many U.S. drivers can't put down their phones.

March 26, 2018 - Bloomberg

Chicago Snow and Winter

Surface Parking Lots Making Way for Higher Uses

Are the urban revival and the future of mobility already rendering parking lots obsolete? Chicago provides a case study of a new generation of skyscrapers rising were cars once parked.

March 26, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Autonomous Vehicles

Self-Driving Cars' Most Likely Future: Shared 'Robotaxis'

In the wake of a high-profile (and fatal) accident involving an autonomous Uber car, the safety debate is trending. But the broader economic picture still points to a future of shared driverless rides.

March 25, 2018 - The Economist

Pacific NW States to Study Regional High-Speed Rail

The proposal promises a one-hour commute between Vancouver and Seattle.

March 25, 2018 - The Urbanist

Uber Autonomous Vehicle

Failure of Automated Driving Technology Blamed for First Pedestrian Fatality

Experts who watched the videos taken by onboard cameras equipped in the Volvo SUV that hit Elaine Herzberg determined that Uber's automated driving system failed to perform adequately. The crash points to a need for regulations.

March 25, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Governors' Report: No Improvement in Pedestrian Fatality Rate Last Year

Elaine Herzberg's death by autonomous vehicle on March 18 in Tempe was a "first," but what of the 224 pedestrians that died last year in Arizona, the nation's most dangerous state for pedestrians according to a 50-state report released Feb. 28?

March 24, 2018 - Governors Highway Safety Association

St. Laurent River

Huge Transit Plan Unveiled for Quebec City

A plan for a tramline and trambus, as well as corresponding urban development, has a $3 billion (Canadian dollars) budget.

March 24, 2018 - The Montreal Gazette

James W. Dalton Highway

Exploring the Least Traveled Road in Every State

Who's ready for a road trip?

March 24, 2018 - CityLab

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.