Transportation

Toronto Bike Infrastructure

A Compelling Case for Protected Bike Lanes

A pilot project of cycle tracks on several streets in Toronto produced almost shockingly positive results for all users of the street. At very little cost, the new bike infrastructure increased total street capacity and improved safety.

January 17, 2019 - Toronto Star

Bike Box

Congestion Pricing Takes Major Step Forward in New York City

Suddenly, after years of inaction, momentum is building for congestion pricing in New York City.

January 16, 2019 - Grist

Boston Bus

Boston to Add 194 Hybrid Buses

The MBTA will use local and FTA monies to bring in the new vehicles which will replace older diesel and hybrid buses aging out of their usable lifespan.

January 16, 2019 - The Boston Herald

Water Emergency Transportation Authority

San Francisco Ferry Launches New Commuter Line

The San Francisco Bay ferry system is growing as commuters flee congested roads and overcrowded BART cars.

January 16, 2019 - The Mercury News

South Lake Union

Level of Service Reform Bill Approved by Seattle City Council

A major change to planning paradigms in the city of Seattle.

January 16, 2019 - The Urbanist

Boston Red Line

MBTA's Capital Spending Plan Subject to Agency-Wide Review

The MBTA’s plan to repair and improve the ailing system means major service disruptions are likely coming. Officials say they want to minimize the pain and suffering of riders.

January 16, 2019 - The Boston Globe

BART Station Construction

Effects of Federal Shutdown Only Beginning to Show at Local and State Transportation Agencies

Effects of the partial shutdown of the federal government differ between state highway departments and local transit agencies. Some effects aren't yet apparent, but could be soon.

January 16, 2019 - Governing

Tesla

Banner Year for Electric Vehicle Sales

U.S. sales of plug-in electric vehicles, including those with internal combustion engines, increased by 81 percent in 2018 over 2017. But if you remove the best-selling Tesla Model 3 from the mix, the increase drops to 11 percent.

January 16, 2019 - Greentech Media

Baltimore MTA Bus

Baltimore Bus System Redesign Leaves Advocates Wanting More

A local bus and transit advocate pushes for more improvements to the Maryland Transit Administration's bus system in the city of Baltimore.

January 15, 2019 - CityLab

BART Station

Is Pay by Distance Unfair to the Poor?

Sam Raby argues that BART’s pay by distance fair structure exacerbates transit inequities.

January 15, 2019 - Curbed

M42 Bus

Faster Buses Promised by New York Mayor de Blasio

New York City has the slowest buses of any big American city, and Mayor Bill de Blasio aims to speed them up with better bus lane enforcement.

January 15, 2019 - AM New York

A photo of protesters on the front lawn of the Ohio Statehouse during the State of the Union speech by Governer Kasich.

New Leadership Tasked With Solving Ohio's Transportation Challenges

Ohio has a new Republican governor, and the state has a transportation funding problem. Can a new group of advocates convince the state's political leadership to approve a new gas tax?

January 14, 2019 - Columbus Dispatch

Bart

BART Considers Range of Options for Retired Vehicles

Hundreds of cars in the system will be going offline in coming years, and the agency is looking at a variety of ideas for what to do with them.

January 14, 2019 - San Francisco Examiner

San Francisco Houses

CA Gov.: Cities Must Meet Housing Goals or State Will Withhold Gas Tax Funds

Newly inaugurated California Gov. Gavin Newsom made waves on Thursday in his budget address, threatening cities and counties with the possibility of losing a portion of their gas tax subventions if they fail to meet their state housing requirements.

January 14, 2019 - Streetsblog California

Bike and Scooter SHare

The Percent of Americans Using Ride Hailing Services is Going Up…Fast

in 2015, 28% of 18-29 year-olds said they had used Lyft or Uber. In 2018, that number jumped to 51% according to a Pew Research study.

January 14, 2019 - Pew Research Center

New York Public Transit

New Subway Cars Pulled Out of Service in New York Due to Defects

Dozens of subway cars manufactured by Bombadier for the New York subway have defects. Some 48 of 112 new cars have defects, and the rest of an order of 300 subways cars has yet to be filled.

January 14, 2019 - Daily News

Single-Family Housing Development

Urban Planning Trends to Watch in 2019

A few ideas about what to watch in the world of planning in 2019. We only use the word Trump once.

January 14, 2019 - James Brasuell

New Orleans Streetcar

New Orleans Planning Bus Service Improvements, Pending Budget Surplus

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority's budget, approved at the end of 2018, is basically a contingency plan.

January 13, 2019 - The New Orleans Advocate

Tolls, Not Gas and Sales Taxes, Will Fund I-81 Improvements in Virginia

Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam announced he is backing Republican legislation to toll all lanes of Interstate 81 to fund $2.2 billion in improvements along the 325-mile corridor, heavily used by trucks, from West Virginia to Tennessee.

January 13, 2019 - The Washington Post

Amtrak ACS-64

Chicago to St. Louis Amtrak Still Not Up to Speed

The higher speed train route between the two cities, funded by the recession-era stimulus package, is capable of 90 to 110 mph, but is stuck at 78.

January 12, 2019 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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.