Transportation

Buses Win Big in Kalamazoo Millage Tax Measure

Residents in the Kalamazoo, MI area voted on Tuesday to maintain and expand bus service by passing a 0.75-mill tax. They can expect more frequent and late night service to be provided by the new Central County Transportation Authority.

August 6, 2015 - Mlive.com

Safety Improvements Needed for Pacific Coast Highway Through Malibu

A consistently miserable record of crashes and fatalities, including pedestrians and collisions with parked cars, is compelling the city of Malibu to undertake a large number of safety improvement projects along the Pacific Coast Highway.

August 5, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Seattle skyline

Downtown Seattle Works to Curb Driving as it Grows

With the highest levels of construction in over a decade, the city is working to reduce traffic congestion.

August 5, 2015 - Next City

5 Lessons from the Growing Open Streets Movement

As Open Streets events become more popular and spread to cities all over the world, emerging trends show how to make the most of the opportunity to reclaim streets from cars for a few hours.

August 5, 2015 - Open Streets Project

Op-Ed: Nashville Should Coordinate Transit, Housing Plans

Urban planning is front in center in Nashville, with a general plan update underway and a mayoral election looming on August 6. One candidate took to the editorial pages of The Tennessean to lay out a housing and transit agenda.

August 4, 2015 - The Tennessean

San Francisco Bikers Score a Point for the Idaho Stop

Last week, along a popular San Francisco bike route, a group of protestors took to their bikes to advocate for new laws, such as the Idaho Stop, that make it easier to bike in the city.

August 4, 2015 - SF Weekly

Traffic and Speed

End These 5 Transportation Planning 'Rule of Thumbs'

An op-ed calls for an end to five examples of them planning status quo, and recommends four new "rule of thumbs" that can provide a better model for the transportation planning of the future.

August 4, 2015 - City Observatory City Commentary

A Really, Really Big Fuel Cell Vehicle Possibly Coming to the Bay Area

This vehicle would be larger than a Hummer, a bus, and even an 18-wheeler. Then again, it would not travel on land. The proposal goes by an appropriate acronym: SF-BREEZE. Think fresh air over the bay.

August 3, 2015 - AASHTO Journal

Busy Crossing Street

A Decade of Walkable Strides in Transit Innovation

A new Transit Center report shows what it takes to enact change.

August 3, 2015 - Next City

Arpingstone

First Roundabout Comes to New York City

Roundabouts, not to be confused with traffic circles, are becoming popular throughout the United States. The Bronx will get the first one in NYC. The insurance industry and FHWA consider them far safer than traffic lights and stop signs.

August 3, 2015 - The New York Times - Wheels

Senior Mobility

More Rational Analysis Of Seniors' Driving Risks And Safety Strategies

A new American Automobile Association study argues that efforts to reduce driving by higher-risk seniors threaten their health. This analysis is backward: seniors benefit most from reduced driving and improved transport options.

August 3, 2015 - Todd Litman

Speed Limit

The Origins of Speed Limits

Motor vehicle crashes claim over 30,000 lives per year, with related costs in the hundreds of billions. While we sometimes view that frightening statistic as inevitable, there are reasons to reexamine speed limits and how we set them.

August 2, 2015 - Five Thirty Eight

Beijing Skyline

Beijing Heads Towards Population 130 Million

China's capital city is already one of the largest in the world, but it's about to get a whole lot bigger. As the Chinese population continues to migrate from rural to urban areas, the Chinese government is planning for megacity of 130 million.

August 2, 2015 - New York Times

President Obama Signs Three-Month Transportation Funding Bill

The Senate was hard at work on Thursday, passing not one but two transportation funding bills—first its controversial six-year (funded for three) transportation reauthorization bill, the DRIVE Act, and then, most importantly, the patch bill.

August 2, 2015 - The Hill

TOD Sign

Op-Ed: Transit-Oriented Gentrification Should Be Taxed

This piece from the Vancouver Sun advocates using land value capture taxes to fund transit and related improvements. Such a tax would target speculation, the author writes, rather than productive activity.

August 1, 2015 - The Vancouver Sun

Northeast Rail Corridor Woes Extend Far Beyond Hudson River Tunnels

While Amtrak's century-old Hudson River rail tunnels may capture the public's attention, particularly when they are closed, infrastructure problems on the Northeast Corridor also plague the line from Rhode Island to Washington, D.C.

August 1, 2015 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Denver Bikes

Severe Underfunding Hurts Denver Bike Plan

According to an audit, the Denver Moves plan hasn't lived up to its goals, mainly because of a poor showing in the city's budget since implementation in 2011.

July 31, 2015 - The Denver Post

New Report Ranks Metros on Transportation, Land Use, and More

To make a strategic assessment of the St. Louis region, the 7th edition of "Where We Stand" ranks the largest 50 metropolitan areas on more than 200 variables.

July 31, 2015 - East-West Gateway Council of Governments

Renewable Diesel Gets Huge Boost from UPS

Renewable diesel, a biofuel that differs from biodiesel by the feedstock used and its chemical makeup, making it indistinguishable from petrodiesel, is a small but growing industry. The announcement from UPS was welcome news for three companies.

July 30, 2015 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

Toronto Streetcar

What's the Value of a Half-Baked Streetcar Line?

A tough first week for the new LYNX Gold streetcar line in Charlotte inspired a review of the current research about the value of streetcars.

July 30, 2015 - The Urban Edge

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.