Transportation

Hyperloop

The Hyperloop Hype Machine

After another big announcement from the realm of futuristic transportation, there's reason to remain skeptical.

April 15, 2017 - Curbed

Uber Driver

For Uber, Lawsuits in Seattle and New York Drag On

The transportation network company is facing an ongoing legal battle over its drivers’ right to unionize in Seattle and an antitrust lawsuit in New York.

April 15, 2017 - Pacific Standard

Honda Clarity

More Fuel Cell Vehicles for Lease in 2017

Fuel cell electric vehicles are gaining a following in California, but nowhere else in the U.S. for the simple reason that almost all hydrogen fueling stations are located in the Golden State. Sales, or leases, are expected to jump this year.

April 14, 2017 - The Associated Press

Sign

A Call for Anti-Drunk Walking and Biking Campaigns

Citing data that show a large share of people killed while walking or biking were drunk, some are calling for programs to educate the public of the danger of walking and biking while under the influence of alcohol.

April 13, 2017 - Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Counter Flow Bus

Counter Flow Bus Lanes Endure in Mexico City

The curious and, at times, dangerous design of bus lanes that move against the flow of traffic in Mexico city will be expensive and time-consuming to take out, so the city looks for ways to work with what it has.

April 13, 2017 - CityLab

Trains Now Connect the U.K. to China

China's "One Belt, One Road" program to create a network of trade routes across Eurasia took a major step forward this week when a freight train bearing export goods disembarked from the United Kingdom bound for China's Zhejiang province.

April 13, 2017 - Railway Gazette

Bus Upholstery

Valley Metro Delivering on 'Phoenix Transportation 2050' Plan

Valley Metro announced a suite of bus service improvements this month, with even more potentially on the way later this year.

April 12, 2017 - Queen Creek Independent

California agriculture

California Fixed Gov. Schwarzenegger's Vehicle License Fee Revenue Gap

An old wound is mitigated thanks to two Democratic legislators from Riverside County who made it clear from the onset what it would take for them to sign-on to the Road Repair and Accountability Act, California's historic fuel tax and fee increase.

April 12, 2017 - The Press-Enterprise

Demonstration Project

Resources for Creating a Pop-Up Traffic Calming Demonstration

A how-to guide for concerned citizens and tactical urbanists interested in slowing down traffic in their community.

April 12, 2017 - Strong Towns

Parking Lots

Winner of the 2017 Parking Madness Tournament Announced

It's every Shoupista's favorite day of the year.

April 12, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

Providence Ditches Streetcar Plans; Goes With High-Frequency Buses Instead

A decade ago, Providence considered a streetcar for land that once moved cars along the former path of Route 195. Now transit planners have once again shifted gears, targeting a high-frequency bus corridor for the area.

April 11, 2017 - Providence Journal

Corporate Parking Structures

How Apple's Headquarters Got More Parking Spaces Than Employee Spaces

Parking is back in the news, with a high-profile case study: the new spaceship-shaped headquarters of Apple in Cupertino has devoted a larger footprint to parking spaces than office space.

April 11, 2017 - The Economist

Medellin

Opinion: Gondolas Distract From the Realities of Transit

Gondolas seem to find their way into the public transit investment conversation again and again over the years, taking up space and air that could be devoted to more substantive issues of investment, maintenance, and operation.

April 11, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

BART Train

Can Public Transit Run on Solar Power?

California's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has recently been exploring ways to power its system using renewable energy sources, but is it really possible to power one of the state's "top 10 power consumers" with alternative energy?

April 11, 2017 - Doggerel

Mero Los Angeles

Best Fuel to Power Buses: Renewable Natural Gas or Battery-Electric?

Next month the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority will decide what type of buses to purchase to replace 1,000 aging diesel buses. Two op-eds in the Los Angeles Daily News present alternative viewpoints.

April 11, 2017 - Los Angeles Daily News

Pedestrian Infrastructure

Oakland Hoping to Provide Safer Pedestrian Infrastructure at Construction Sites

"Every reasonable effort should be made to avoid and minimize construction impacts on pedestrian, bicycle, and bus facilities in Oakland," according to a guidance released by the city of Oakland earlier in 2017.

April 10, 2017 - Transport Oakland

Grade Crossing

Grade Crossings Racking Up Costs on Denver's New A-Line

In a region with a full calendar of transit construction projects and high hopes for a positive stream of news, a premier and historic project has not gone as smoothly as hoped.

April 10, 2017 - The Denver Post

Subway Station

New Second Avenue Subway Stations Making Locals Smile

Light, airy, and filled with art, the new subway stations for the first phase of the long awaited Q subway extension, i.e., the Second Avenue subway, breaks away from the mold of other NYC subway stations.

April 10, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Massachusetts

Support for Highway Tolls Building in Massachusetts

If Republicans at the federal level succeed in pushing more transportation funding to the state level, more states will have to consider the path of states like Rhode Island, Texas, and, now, Massachusetts.

April 10, 2017 - The Boston Globe

California

California's Record Fuel Taxes Hike Passes Legislature in One Day

On April 6, the Senate and Assembly passed a comprehensive transportation funding package that it had been unable to do for years, thanks to much deal-making by Gov. Jerry Brown. The gas tax will increase by 12 cents per gallon on November 1.

April 9, 2017 - Planetizen

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.