Transportation

New Frequent Buses Will Arrive More Frequently in Seattle

A few weeks after a major restructure of bus service, King County Metro Transit in Seattle is adding additional bus trips to a few particularly crowded lines.

April 13, 2016 - Mass Transit

Second Avenue Subway to Bring Boon to Upper East Side Neighborhood

For residents of Manhattan's Yorkville neighborhood, life, and property values, will be greatly improved when the Second Avenue Subway opens in December. Until then, construction noise and long slogs to the Lexington Avenue subway continue.

April 13, 2016 - The New York Times

beach Parking

Better Parking, Better Cities

Reformed parking regulations will improve the quality of urban environments. They might even allow to once again construct building types we appreciate only in older cities, but could never imagine building with today’s parking requirements.

April 12, 2016 - Gerhard Mayer

Empty Subway

Public Transportation Ridership: Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back?

Recent data showing declining transit ridership is only the latest news to cast doubt on expectations of a public transit renaissance.

April 12, 2016 - Steven Polzin

BMW Ready to Launch 'Premium' Car-Sharing Service in Seattle

A new car-sharing service called ReachNow will soon hit the streets of Seattle, offering customers a chance to rent a variety of cars manufactured by BMW by the hour.

April 12, 2016 - KUOW

How Bikeshare Replaced Trains on the Day Metrorail Shut Down

Mobility Lab has created a collection of animations and maps that show how Capital Bikesahre filled in some of the gaps for commuters when Metrorail shut down in March.

April 12, 2016 - Mobility Lab

Vermont the Latest State to Post Fatality Figures on Roadside Signs

Call it the low-hanging fruit of traffic safety: a number of states around the country post traffic fatality figures on the message boards posted along highways. Questions remain whether such safety campaigns actually work.

April 12, 2016 - CityLab

Traffic Light

Slot-Based Design Could Eliminate Traffic Lights

An MIT study determined that traffic lights, and their inefficiencies, could be eliminated if all vehicles were equipped to regulate their speed and "batch" together as they approach intersections.

April 12, 2016 - Fast Co. Design

Dedicated Bus Lanes Open on Crowded D.C. Corridor

A speedy approval process will have popular buses moving at a speedy pace down Georgia Avenue in Washington, D.C.

April 12, 2016 - The Washington Post

A Preview of the Cincinnati Streetcar: Expected to Open Sept. 1

The Cincinnati City Council is considering a budget for the eagerly anticipated Cincinnati Streetcar this week, revealing new details about the expected opening and early operations of the system.

April 12, 2016 - Cincinnati Business Courier

Bus Only

Rebecca Solnit: Public Transit Is Greater Than Self-Driving Cars

Rebecca Solnit writes a pointed criticism of the wave of optimism attached to the self-driving car. Her preference: public transit.

April 11, 2016 - The Guardian

$8 Billion 'Chicago Bypass' Freight Line Proposed

A private developer is pursuing a proposal that would invest $8 billion in a freight line in the Midwest.

April 11, 2016 - Associated Press

Legal Spat Over Plan to Widen I-405 in Orange County

Orange County, California transportation officials want to widen the 405 to reduce travel times and ease predicted congestion. The cities of Seal Beach and Long Beach are concerned about how that will impact traffic on surface streets.

April 11, 2016 - KPCC

More Than One Way to Gauge How Much Americans are Driving

Last year the U.S. Department of Transportation reported an increase of 3.3 percent in miles-traveled. During that same period, use of toll facilities, i.e., where motorists elect to pay to drive, increased 7.7 percent according to a new analysis.

April 11, 2016 - USA Today

A Critical Review of the Atlanta Streetcar Planning Process

The first phase of the Atlanta Streetcar is open to the public, though the city has big plans to extend the line. One planning academic hopes to redirect the planning process.

April 11, 2016 - SaportaReport

'Back to Normal' for BART's East Bay Commuters...Maybe

Two 'good news' stories greeted suffering BART riders this past week. First, service was back to normal between North Concord and Pittsburg/Bay Point stations. Second, new cars have arrived, though they will not be put into service until December.

April 10, 2016 - ABC KGO TV 7 - San Francisco

Reading Viaduct

Arguing for Philly's Viaduct Rail Park Provide as a Mobility Solution

The High Line is a famous example of urban revitalization, but a useful commuter path it is not. Can a similar proposal in Philadelphia offer the benefits of beautification and mobility?

April 10, 2016 - Philadelphia

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Northeast Ohio Long-Term Planning Aims to Reverse Legacy of Car-Centric Planning

The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) will begin a new long-term planning process. Early indications are that the new plan will focus on providing transportation options to low-income people with no access to cars.

April 9, 2016 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Road Through D.C.'s Rock Creek Park Closing to Cars

A long-discussed, and perpetually controversial, proposal to close Rock Creek Park to automobile traffic is headed toward construction. Questions about the impact of the project remain.

April 9, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Subway Sign

A New Subway Line Unveiled for Republican Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz

It wasn't the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that named the new subway line for the Texas senator, but one of the city's major tabloids showed its 'only in New York City' creative flair for attention-grabbing headlines.

April 9, 2016 - Daily News

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

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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.