Transportation

King County, Sound Transit Announce $83 Million for Transit Oriented Development

A new regional transit oriented development initiative in Seattle will focus on affordable housing and walkable communities. The Executive's Transit Station Housing and Development Initiative will partner King County and Sound Transit.

October 2, 2015 - The Urbanist

DUIDs Rival DUIs as Cause of Driver Fatalities

Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, be they prescription, illegal, or marijuana, now accounts for 40 percent of driver fatalities, about the same as alcohol-related deaths, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

October 2, 2015 - The Washington Post

Protected Bike Lane Setback in Boulder

Boulder, Colorado may be one of the most bike-friendly cities in the U.S., but that did not stop the City Council on Tuesday night from voting to remove the protected bike lanes on Folsom street and return the road to four lanes of vehicle traffic.

October 1, 2015 - Daily Camera

Health by Design: Findings from ULI

A new ULI report finds that innovation in placemaking is about the inter-relatedness of health and the built environment.

October 1, 2015 - ULI San Francisco Blog

Anthony Foxx Announcement

What's Up With Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx?

The Hill explores the ambitions and motivations of Anthony Foxx, former mayor of the city of Charlotte and current secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

September 30, 2015 - The Hill

Chicago Approves Big Expansion of TOD Ordinance

Ten times more land in Chicago is now designated for transit oriented development—affording new development reduced parking requirements, density bonuses for affordable housing, and new strength for the city's Pedestrian Street design regulations.

September 30, 2015 - Chi.Streetsblog

Open Streets Success Story: Atlanta Streets Alive

The vast appeal of the open streets movement was on display in Atlanta last weekend, as the city hosted the Open Streets Summit and its very own event: Atlanta Streets Alive.

September 30, 2015 - Saporta Report

Washington State's First Express Toll Lanes Open

Washington has Express Lanes on I-5 and I-90 and HOT Lanes on SR 167, but the 17 miles of lanes that opened Sunday on I-405 from Bellevue to Lynnwood will be the state's first Express Toll Lanes.

September 30, 2015 - Planetizen

Traffic Deaths in California Continue to Rise—How to Stem the Tide

Traffic fatalities in California have been rising since 2010, rising to 3,104 in 2013 after decreasing from 2006 to 2010. Experts point to several specific reasons for the increase; one of the most prominent may be in your hand right now.

September 30, 2015 - The Sacramento Bee

New York City Construction

Can Reduced Parking Requirements Generate Too Much Development Competition?

A new argument has appeared in the ongoing debate about parking requirements. A university in a college town objected to reduced parking requirements on the grounds that it would make the city too attractive to developers.

September 30, 2015 - CityLab

New York Historic map

Study Quantifies Land Use Benefits of Transit Investments

A study by the Transportation Research Board calculates "land use effect" and "ridership effect" to show how much land is saved when cities include public transit.

September 30, 2015 - Streetsblog USA

Congestion as an Economic—Not an Engineering—Problem

Thinking about congestion as an economic problem generates new solutions for the problem as well as a response to accusations of social engineering.

September 29, 2015 - Urban Kchoze

Transportation Bond Funding Divides Suburban County in Texas

It's a case of the haves vs. the have-nots in transportation spending for a rapidly growing suburban area of Houston.

September 29, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

workspace

More and More Americans Working From Home

In a pattern evident in communities all over the country, U.S. Census data shows more Americans are working from home. Researchers from the Brookings Institution are hoping that planners have noticed the trend.

September 29, 2015 - Brookings Institution

San Diego Rail

New San Diego Regional Plan Focuses on Public Transit

The San Diego Association of Government on October 9 will consider a 35-year regional plan that prioritizes public transit in its management of an expected 1 million new residents.

September 29, 2015 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Parking Sign Blue

Three Parking Solutions for Three Growing Cities

As a new wave of people flood cities to live, work, and play, many arrive on four wheels: cars, which are creating massive headaches for city planners and drivers.

September 29, 2015 - Elevation DC

Witness a Car-Free Paris

We call them Open Streets events. In French it's Journée Sans Voiture. On September 27, the world saw a car-free Paris.

September 28, 2015 - Gizmodo

Bike Cop

As San Francisco Debates Idaho Stop, Gov. Brown Gives All Cyclists a Break

Regardless of how San Francisco's proposed Bike Yield Law fares, all California cyclists who are ticketed for not stopping at stop signs may have the option to pay a reduced fine if they opt to attend bike school thanks to a new law signed Sept. 21.

September 28, 2015 - Streetsblog LA

Bus Stop

Does Consolidating Bus Stops Speed Up Buses?

The practice of consolidating bus stops—or stop thinning—is a controversial method to speed up buses. Los Angeles Metro is considering consolidation as part of its ongoing Strategic Bus Network Plan.

September 28, 2015 - Streetsblog LA

Austin Pedestrians

Economic Benefit of Increasing Neighborhood Walkability: Is it a Myth?

Researchers from Texas A&M blog about their study of the economic benefits of walkability in neighborhoods in Austin, Texas.

September 27, 2015 - JPER

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.