Transportation

Pedestrians and Walkable Street

Walkable Suburbia

It's not impossible to reshape the suburbs to be more walkable, but it does require careful planning and design.

September 6, 2018 - Jason Beske

The Bloomingdale Trail

Evaluating Departing Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Planning Record

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a surprise announcement this week that he would not seek a third term in office.

September 6, 2018 - Streetsblog Chicago

Bus Stop and Bike Lane

Seattle's Residents Pick Funding for Streets, Park Projects

The "Your Voice Your Choice" program of participatory funding is in its second year in Seattle.

September 5, 2018 - The Urbanist

Sacramento

Sacramento Will Lower Transit Fares

Sacramento Regional Traffic has seen a dip in its ridership, so they are making the uncommon move of cutting fares.

September 5, 2018 - The Sacramento Bee

Scooter Share

Weekly Electric Scooter Media Brief: Aug. 29 – Sept. 4

The second installment "Weekly Electric Scooter Media Brief" presents a veritable cornucopia of breaking news, opinions, and insights into the wild west of electric scooter regulation.

September 5, 2018 - Planetizen

Toronto Lyrics

Ontario Could Take Control of Toronto's TTC Subway

The Ford administration is moving forward with a scheme to "upload" control of Toronto's TTC subway to provincial control.

September 5, 2018 - The Star

Dallas Bike Lane

Opinion: Bike Lane Funding in Dallas on the Line

As the Dallas City Council prepares to vote this month on a general fund budget, the future of bike lanes is not looking good.

September 4, 2018 - The Dallas Morning News

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

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.