Transportation

London Underground

How London's Leading on Transit Data

Transport for London is forging ahead on several projects to collect and use more rider data. One initiative draws on WiFi connections to map users' paths through the London Underground.

December 13, 2017 - DW.com

Dublin, California Freeway

Bay Area Express Lanes Turn a Profit

Not all of them, just the I-580 lanes. One of the reasons is that most users are actually paying, unlike the other two express lanes where a majority of users are clean-air vehicles or carpools, neither of which pay.

December 12, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Self-Driving Bus

FTA Launches Five-Year Study of Benefits of Vehicle Automation to Public Transit

Much of the scientific inquiry into the potential effects of automated vehicles has focused on ride hailing and transportation networking companies. What about good old-fashioned buses?

December 12, 2017 - Eno Center for Transportation

Ontario, Canada

Follow Up Questions for Toronto's Big 'Smart City' Plan

When it comes to "smart city" plans, there might not be a bigger blockbuster than the partnership between Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs, a unit of Google's parent company, Alphabet.

December 12, 2017 - Smithsonian

BART Train

BART Goes Renewable

The Board of Directors approved a path to 90 percent renewable energy.

December 11, 2017 - San Francisco Examiner

E-470 Toll

Strong Opposition to Toll Lane Additions Expressed in Colorado

It's not the widening of Interstate 25 that rattled attendees of the public meeting held by the Colorado Department of Transportation on Dec. 7—it's the fact that that they would have to pay to use the new lanes.

December 11, 2017 - Fox21 News

Brightline

All Aboard Florida's Brightline Set to Launch this Month

The privately funded, diesel-powered trains will run at speeds up to 79 mph between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, with an extension to Miami opening early next year. Real estate development is key to profitability.

December 11, 2017 - WBUR

Subway Construction

Sunday Fun: Watch the Path of the Tunnel Boring Machine Below Downtown Los Angeles

Like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but for a tunnel boring machine.

December 10, 2017 - Metro Los Angeles

San Francisco

Powerful Political Voices Call for Another Bay Area Bridge

U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein is leading calls for the so-called Southern Crossing—a bridge that would connect San Francisco and the East Bay somewhere south of the Bay Bridge.

December 10, 2017 - SFGate

About Those $40 Charges on Virginia's I-66

The peak tolls achieved during the first week of operation of the new HOT lanes on I-66 in Virginia raised eyebrows this week. Here's a closer look at the data behind the new system.

December 9, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Chenzen Bus Stop

Shenzen Buses to Switch to 100 Percent Battery Power in a Global First

The city about to set a new standard for battery-powered electric bus transit was a small collection of fishing villages just 40 years ago.

December 8, 2017 - The City Fix

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland's First Protected Bike Lanes Get $14 Million Boost

[Updated] The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency will provide the funding for two ambitious protected bike lanes in Cleveland.

December 8, 2017 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

New Jersey

Mid-Sized Cities Make Car-Free Gains

Several cities located in the Northeast, especially in the New York region, saw a significant increase in the number of car-free households.

December 8, 2017 - Governing

Street Traffic in Manhattan

Big Push for Congestion Pricing Expected Early Next Year in New York

Ten years after former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan died on the state Assembly floor, expect to see a similar plan revived by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.). New York Times metro reporter, Winnie Hu, explains why it never died.

December 7, 2017 - The New York Times

Suburban Neighborhood

'Infinite Suburbia' Upends Everything We Know About Suburbia

Joel Kotkin and Alan M. Berger discuss their new book, which analyses what the suburbs are and will become, in both the United States and around the world.

December 7, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

I-66 Virginia

New Tolls on I-66 in Virginia Hit $40 on Day Two

The idea behind congestion pricing is to create at least some disincentive for driving. The new tolls I-66, which reached $34.50 on Monday and $40 on Tuesday, are certainly accomplishing that goal.

December 7, 2017 - The Washington Post

Mobile Phones

Editorial: Ditch the Foolish Distracted Walking Tickets

Crossing the street can be dangerous in the best conditions, but a $500 fine for looking at the phone while crossing the street won't help anything, according to this editorial.

December 7, 2017 - Chicago Tribune

Rural Traffic

Obama-Era Truck Safety Regulations Up for Debate

The Trump Administration has been defending the interests of the truck industry against regulations proposed during the Obama Administration.

December 6, 2017 - NPR via KPCC

Queens Boulevard

A Vision Zero Success Story in New York

The 300-foot wide Queens Boulevard has been known as the Boulevard of Death. Since 1990, it has claimed 186 lives, 74 percent being pedestrians, including 18 in 1997 alone. A series of safety improvements have brought fatalities to zero since 2014.

December 6, 2017 - The New York Times

Mobility

Explained: Mobility as a Service

Mobility as a Service, or MaaS for short, is a buzzword you've probably seen a lot of in recent months.

December 6, 2017 - Eno Center for Transportation

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.