Transportation

Lyft

Multiple Studies Find Ride-Hailing Contributes to Congestion and Transit Losses

Surveys on ride-hailing conducted by regional planning agencies, academic institutions, and public transit agencies throughout the U.S. reviewed by the Associated Press largely led to the same conclusion: more traffic and reduced use of transit.

March 9, 2018 - Associated Press

CTA Train

Demolition Starts for CTA's Controversial Flyover Project

The Chicago Transit Authority's Red-Purple Bypass Project will add an additional track to speed up trains passing through the Belmont Station. The project requires the demolition of several neighborhood buildings.

March 9, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Vision Zero

Queens Boulevard Redesign Spreads the Love Around

Queens Boulevard from Roosevelt Avenue to 73rd Street got a new look in 2015, but the New York Department of Transportation is planning to take the street redesign even further.

March 9, 2018 - StreetsBlog NYC

MARTA Bus

Georgia' First Bus Rapid Transit Route Wins Federal Funding

The Summerhill Bus Rapid Transit Project—on track to become the first bus rapid transit line in the state of Georgia—received a critical bath of funding from the federal government this week in the form of a $12.6 million TIGER grant.

March 9, 2018 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Traffic

Road Pricing Shouldn't Stop at Ride Hailing Services

Extra charges for Uber and Lyft rides isn't enough to decrease traffic and speed public transit Joe Cortright argues in City Observatory.

March 8, 2018 - City Observatory

Innovative School Bus Program Proposed in Detroit

A proposed "unified bus system" is intended to attract more students to Detroit-area schools.

March 8, 2018 - Detroit Free Press

Arlington, Texas

Arlington, Texas Replaces Public Transit with Ride-Share

Arlington is the first large city in the nation to ditch public transit for a private ride-sharing service. A pilot program operated by Via Transportation has operated successfully since launching service in December, charging riders $3.

March 7, 2018 - CBS This Morning

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao

Corrected: The Bell Tolls for the TIGER Grant Program

The Trump Administration signaled a desire to scrap a funding program that helped fund transit, pedestrian, and bike infrastructure. A new program likely focused on rural and toll roads could take its place.

March 7, 2018 - Streetsblog USA

TARTA Station

Toledo Bus Service Cut Amid Falling Ridership

TARTA, like many transit services around the United States, has lost riders. Officials hope a new downtown hub can stem that tide, even as the transit authority cuts service.

March 6, 2018 - Toledo Blade

Driverless Bus

Jacksonville's Driverless Transit Plan Is More Hype Than Hope

Jacksonville's transportation authority has proposed a flashy public transportation service designed around autonomous busses. The proposal does little to improve the public transit system of a growing, Sunbelt city.

March 6, 2018 - Modern Cities

BART Station

Bill Would Force Locals to Follow BART's Plans for Station-Adjacent Development

Another bill under consideration by the California State Legislature would take land use control away from local agencies near transit stations. In this case, the new authority would be regional.

March 6, 2018 - The Mercury News

Los Angeles

Op-Ed: Transit-Oriented Development Must Protect Tenants

It's time for planners to contend with displacement by transit investment, writes Tracy Jeanne Rosenthal.

March 6, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Highway Speed

California Bill Sets Its Sights on Lower Speed Limits

A proposed bill in the California State Assembly would make it easier for local jurisdictions to set lower speed limits, sidestepping the controversial 85th percentile rule.

March 6, 2018 - Streetsblog California

Maokong Sky Gondola

Gondolas Proposed for Boston's Seaport District

Boston's Seaport District has grown rapidly, and traffic is an ongoing concern. Developers have proposed an interesting solution: aerial trams.

March 6, 2018 - The Boston Globe

Auto-oriented Suburbia

This Georgia Town of 20,000 Has its Own Tactical Urbanism Program

Tactical urbanism isn't just for big cities.

March 6, 2018 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Autonomous Vehicles

Connected and Autonomous Cars Are Using More Power and Fuel

A study by researchers at the University of Michigan and the Ford Motor Innovation Center shows that autonomous cars could have a substantial energy toll, effectively making them more polluting than current manually driven vehicles.

March 5, 2018 - The Connected Car

Cicylists

Next Level Traffic Safety Data Mapping

Traffic safety still needs a lot of work. Better maps can certainly help the cause.

March 5, 2018 - StreetsBlog NYC

New York New Jersey Transit

Trump Attempts to Deny Funding for Hudson River Rail Tunnel Project

President Trump is going out of his way to ensure that the Hudson River Tunnel and other projects in the Amtrak Gateway Program don't receive federal funding in the next omnibus spending bill Congress must approve by March 23 to avoid a shutdown.

March 5, 2018 - The Washington Post

Bikeshare

Bikeshare Coming to Florida Suburbs

Zagster partners with the Florida Department of Transportation for suburban bike share.

March 3, 2018 - Modern Cities

Open Space Trails

E-Bikes and Open Space Trails

Jefferson County, Colorado, an outdoor recreation paradise located between Denver and the Front Range, will begin allowing electric-assist bikes (e-bikes) on its trails.

March 2, 2018 - The Denver Post

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.