Transportation

L.A. Streetcar

Route Approved for Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar

Construction on the Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar could begin as soon as 2018.

December 6, 2016 - Studio City Patch

What Mobility Leaders Think About Car Connectivity

As autonomous vehicles prepare to disrupt transportation systems, Ford Motors President & CEO Mark Fields, L.A Chief Sustainability Officer Matt Petersen, and rideshare company Chariot co-founder Ali Vahabzadeh opine on tomorrow's mobility ecosystem.

December 6, 2016 - The Planning Report

Parking Lot

App Detects Open Parking Spaces with 99% Accuracy

Technology startup Parkifi seeks to use the Internet of Things to address the long-lamented problem of congestion created by drivers seeking parking.

December 5, 2016 - The Denver Post

New 'Peanutabout' Reinvents the Roundabout for Diagonal Streets

Diagonal crossings can be the most dangerous for pedestrians and bikers, the "peanutabout" could protect bikers and drivers alike.

December 5, 2016 - Streetsblog USA

Washington D.C. - The White House

The Trump Administration: Good for Transit?

The conventional progressive wisdom is that the Trump Administration will be bad for cities and for transit users. But in recent decades, a unified Republican government has been better for public transit than a divided government.

December 5, 2016 - Michael Lewyn

Complete Street

Defending Multi-Modalism

An efficient and equitable transport system must be diverse to serve diverse travel demands. Planners need better tools to quantify and communicate the benefits of walking, cycling and public transit to sometimes skeptical decision makers.

December 5, 2016 - Todd Litman

A city council meeting.

Why Bother with Community Engagement?

What is the highest purpose of community engagement? Why do some planners go all out to hear from the public? This article dives into these questions based on nine interviews conducted at APA 2016.

December 4, 2016 - Dave Biggs

Shipping San Francisco Bay

Trying to Understand What Elaine Chao Will Mean for Transportation in the U.S.

Incoming transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, has a long history at the highest levels of American Federal government. Laura Biss looks at what her past may tell us about how Chao will govern.

December 4, 2016 - CityLab

Johannesburg, South Africa

Bike Lanes For Who? Johannesburg's Bike Lanes Prove Divisive

The placement of new bike lanes in the city of Johannesburg has become yet another symbol of inequality between rich-white and poor-black residents.

December 3, 2016 - The Independent (UK)

Modern high speed bullet train in China

New, Modern Regulations May Speed Trains

The Federal Railroad Administration will soon update regulations regarding U.S. trains, this could have major impact on the industry and train travel.

December 2, 2016 - Streetsblog

Amazon Warehouse

Quick Internet Delivery Services Clog City Streets with Delivery Trucks

Services like Amazon Prime and other quick delivery online retailers are creating more demand for short trip delivery, the result is streets jammed with vans. Bikes may offer an alternative.

December 2, 2016 - Quartz

Chicago El

Chicago Elevated Train Funding Passes with Unanimous Support

The Chicago City Council has authorized a billion dollars in funding for upgrades and maintenance for the city's Red, Purple, and Brown Line trains; the city hopes to get additional federal funds before Obama leaves office.

December 2, 2016 - Chi.Streetsblog

God Rides BART

Bay Area Sends Mixed Message on BART Funding

BART won big on election night with the passage of Measure RR, a $3.5 billion infrastructure bond measure. But the San Francisco Chronicle observes that results from two other local ballot measures suggest a mixed message on the rapid transit system.

December 2, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Pickerington, Ohio

Which U.S. Cities Are Lowering Parking Minimums?

Based on crowdsourced data from across the country, this updated map shows which municipalities have eliminated, lowered, or discussed their parking minimum laws.

December 1, 2016 - Strong Towns

Uber Sidecar Lyft

Tougher Background Checks for Massachusetts Uber, Lyft Drivers

The companies' agreement with Governor Charlie Baker's administration requires a state-run check in addition to the usual check through an independent contractor. Fingerprinting, however, will not be required.

December 1, 2016 - The Boston Globe

Trump Selects Elaine J. Chao, former Labor Secretary, as Transportation Secretary

Elaine Chao served all eight years as President George W. Bush's former Secretary of Labor and also under his father's administration as Deputy Secretary of Transportation. She is married to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

December 1, 2016 - The New York Times

Foothill Transit

Local Buses Among the First to Benefit from L.A. County's Measure M

Fifteen municipal or regional bus services in Los Angeles County that receive funding from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be among the first to benefit from a newly approved transportation sales tax.

November 30, 2016 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Toronto

Toronto Could Take a Radical Step by Tolling Local Roads

In some of the biggest transportation planning news of 2016, the City of Toronto is considering a proposal to toll the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway in an effort to raise funds for infrastructure improvements.

November 29, 2016 - The Globe and Mail

Tech SHuttle

The Downside of Removing Tech Buses from Neighborhoods

A new study has shown that moving tech shuttle stops from neighborhoods to conform to a new "hub plan" would result in a drop in bus ridership, with most former riders resorting to driving their own vehicles to their Silicon Valley workplaces.

November 29, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Des Moines, Iowa

Downtown Des Moines Hopes Boom Will Continue Into 2017

Des Moines' Downtown Chamber of Commerce expects the city's 2016 development boom to continue into the new year.

November 29, 2016 - Des Moines Register

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.