Transportation

Swiss Federal Railways

Swiss Complete World's Longest, Deepest Tunnel in Record Time

The Gotthard base tunnel under the Swiss Alps is an "engineering tour-de-force" at 57.5 kilometres in length. Its nearest rival is the Seikan Tunnel in Japan, at 53.9 km.

June 2, 2016 - The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Expo Line

Proposed $120 Billion Sales Tax Measure Polling Well in L.A. County

A single sales tax measure that would add a new half cent sales tax to fund transportation projects in Los Angeles County for 40 years, and extend an existing half-cent sales tax that terminates in 2039, is supported by at least 68 percent of voters.

June 1, 2016 - MyNewsLA.com

Minneapolis Puts Pedestrians First in Adopting New Complete Streets Policy

Expanding on the complete streets policies that have come before it, the new Minneapolis complete streets policy prioritizes users: first pedestrians, then bikes, then transit, and, finally, cars.

June 1, 2016 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Rep. Earl Blumanauer

U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer Writes in Favor of Self-Driving Cars

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), a famous advocate for alternative transportation, has thrown his support behind the epoch-changing potential of self-driving cars.

May 31, 2016 - Wired

Transit Oriented Development

Op-Ed Supports Value Capture-Enabled Transit Investments

Two USC professors argue that Los Angeles would be better served if Metro could recapture some of its investment in the county's expanding rail system.

May 31, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

405 Traffic

Women Spend More Time in Traffic Than Men

On average, women spend longer in traffic than men—perhaps because of the gendered division of labor that still exists in many households.

May 31, 2016 - Pacific Standard

The fronts of three double-decker buses in London

What If Buses Could Pass Over Cars?

The latest from China: a concept for street-straddling buses that cars could pass underneath. The giant vehicles could improve worsening traffic and already-dire pollution levels, taking the place of many conventional buses.

May 31, 2016 - CityLab

Elderly Walking

10 Ways to Make Cities Livable for the Elderly

How can the New Urban Agenda respect the elderly—and make cities better for all of us in the process?

May 30, 2016 - Next City

Fort Lauderdale

Broward County, Florida to Select from Four Sales Tax Options on November Ballot

They could opt for a one percent, 30-year infrastructure tax, a .75 percent, 20-year transportation sales tax, approve both, or reject both. The two competing measures arise from differences between the county's 31 cities and county commissioners.

May 30, 2016 - Sun Sentinel

Highest Gas Prices are Lowest in 11 years

Yes, gas prices are both lowest and highest. When compared to past Memorial Day weekends, it's the lowest since 2005, and by no coincidence the highest amount of travelers will take to the roads since the same year. Guess what that is doing to VMT?

May 30, 2016 - Daily Fuel Gauge Report (AAA)

Wheelock Parkway

Inside the Mysteries of St. Paul's Wheelock Parkway

An exploration, historical and geographic, of St. Paul's Wheelock Parkway reveals the twists and turns of transportation infrastructure.

May 30, 2016 - MinnPost

Citi Bike Rack

Meet Citi Bike's Top Users—Some Have Pedaled More than 4,000 Miles

Some users accrue more data than others.

May 29, 2016 - New York Post

Multnomah Falls

New Bus Service to Alleviate Congestion Between Portland and Multnomah Falls

Even natural attractions outside of urban areas have parking shortages and congestion problems.

May 28, 2016 - The Oregonian

Huge Drop in California Cap-and-Trade Revenues—Could Market Be Collapsing?

'Huge' is an understatement. Revenues were less than 2 percent of what was forecasted. The uncertainty of the continuance of the program may be responsible. The plummet in revenues to high-speed rail adds to uncertainty of the $64 billion project.

May 28, 2016 - The Sacramento Bee

Trinity Park rendering

Planetizen Week in Review: May 27, 2016

Planetizen Managing Editor James Brasuell shares some of the biggest news and announcements from the week in planning, land use, and related topics.

May 27, 2016 - Planetizen

Dallas Highways

Ambivalence Over Dallas 'Deck Park' Proposal

As the Southern Gateway project moves forward in the state approval process, a component proposal for a cap park over Interstate 35E hangs in the balance.

May 27, 2016 - The Dallas Morning News

Boston Subway T

The Sad Saga of Three East Coast Subways

With so much attention placed on the woes facing D.C. Metro, it's important to recognize that it is hardly the only subway facing critical infrastructure investment needs.

May 27, 2016 - The New York Times

Uber Protest

Uber and Lyft Could Be Ready to Exit Chicago, Too

After leaving Austin on the losing side of a regulatory battle, a licensing ordinance might push Uber and Lyft to end operations in Chicago.

May 27, 2016 - Chicago Sun-Times

Driving

Planning for the Future: How Do We Evaluate Impacts in a World of Uncertainty?

Will planning horizons of 25 to 30 years make sense as transportation technology speeds through unprecedented rates of innovation?

May 27, 2016 - Steven Polzin

Electric Car

One Utility's Plan to Build Thousands of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Southern California Edison wants to add 1,500 public charging stations to its service area, potentially expanding the effort to 30,000 charging stations if all goes well.

May 26, 2016 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

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.