Transportation

The Anatomy of Cincinnati's $1 Billion Highway Project

The Cincinnati State viaduct, as Urban Cincy calls the project, would reconstruct a series of ramps and interchanges where I-74 and I-75 meet near Mill Creek.

June 11, 2015 - UrbanCincy

Report: How Did Reagan More than Double the Gas Tax in 1982?

A new report by the Eno Center for Transportation looks at the landmark five cent gas tax increase of 1982, more than doubling the existing tax, and explores its relevance to today's federal transportation funding crisis.

June 11, 2015 - Eno Center for Transportation

Salt Lake City Region Targets Transit, Bikes in New 25-Year Strategic Plan

With the population of Utah expected to double in the next 25 years, a new regional transportation plan focuses on alternative transportation to achieve air quality benefits.

June 10, 2015 - Deseret News

Toronto's Gardiner Expressway: Green Light for Removal This Week?

Toronto City Council votes on June 10 whether to remove or rebuild the Gardiner Expressway East.

June 10, 2015 - PlaceShakers

$60.2 Million Complete Streets Makeover Planned for MLK Drive in Atlanta

Invest Atlanta has announced a plan to finance a complete streets project for a 7.2-mile stretch of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

June 9, 2015 - SaportaReport

Insurance Regulations Threaten Buffalo's Affordable Car Share Program

The $200,000 non-profit Buffalo CarShare program offer people living in poverty a low-cost option for short-term rentals of cars. Despite state support for the program, state insurance regulations might end it.

June 9, 2015 - Governing

Questions About Operations of Cincinnati's Streetcar Still Need to Be Answered

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) has been busy negotiating with bidders regarding the potential operations of the forthcoming Cincinnati streetcar.

June 8, 2015 - Cincinnati Business Courier

High-Occupancy Toll Lanes on the Table for I-66 Inside the Beltway

The Virginia Department of Transportation is underway with public outreach on a proposed project to add HOT lanes on 1-66 inside the Beltway.

June 8, 2015 - The Washington Post

The Partisan Transit Divide

It's not quite as simple as Republicans opposing transit and Democrats supporting it. It depends what level of government is discussing it. On the local level, demand for better transit can transcend partisan divides.

June 8, 2015 - Roll Call

Bus Stop Winter

People Still Want Buses, But Buses Aren't Delivering

Urban light rail has enjoyed a renaissance since the Great Recession, but during the same period cities have quietly reduced bus service. Daniel Hertz argues that while rail is commendable, buses remain a vital transit component.

June 8, 2015 - City Observatory City Commentary

The Exorbitant External Costs Caused by the Trucking Industry

A new report from the Congressional Budget Office places the spotlight on the trucking industry in terms of the social, health ,and environmental costs it imposes on society but does not pay for, i.e., externalities.

June 8, 2015 - City Observatory City Commentary

The States Leading the Adoption of Electric Vehicles

A report from Navigant Research projects the growth of the domestic markets for plug-in electric vehicles. Spoiler: California dominates the list.

June 7, 2015 - Route 50

$3 Million for Bike Stations Backs Up SEPTA's Bike Planning Efforts

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) recently released the budget that will back up the components of its first ever bike plan: the SEPTA Cycle-Transit Plan, released in April 2015.

June 7, 2015 - Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

Kids Crossing the Street

Op-Ed: Los Angeles Walkability Needs More Crosswalks

Although Los Angeles isn't famous for its walking culture, many neighborhoods are actually quite suited for it. That is, if streets could be made friendlier to the pedestrians they currently repel.

June 5, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Hummer and Prius

How Much More Damage to Roads is Caused by a Hummer Than a Prius?

A Hummer weighs 2.6 times more than a Prius C, so it must contribute that much more to road wear, right? Actually, that's wrong, not even close. To understand the main cause of road wear, one must look at heavy, not light trucks.

June 5, 2015 - OReGO Communications

Transportation Reauthorization Showdown Likely on Capitol Hill

With the current two-month transportation patch set to expire July 31, Democrat leaders are hankering for a showdown to secure a six-year reauthorization bill. A confrontation may occur with Republicans who prefer another patch.

June 5, 2015 - Politico

Katy Freeway

Too Big for Texas? Houston's 23-Lane Freeway

After a $2.3 billion widening project, traffic once again chokes the Katy Freeway's 23 lanes. For road spending critics who are also taxpayers, this I-told-you-so moment is bittersweet.

June 5, 2015 - Streetsblog Network

Link and Bus Seattle

Light Rail Doesn't Always Mean Fewer Buses

Cities that have recently adopted light rail sometimes actually add bus riders.

June 4, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

Quiet Suburban Road Considered for Toronto's New Subway

Some are calling one of the proposed routes for an extended Scarborough subway route in Toronto a straw man. The discussion about the route provides insight into the city's current transit planning process.

June 4, 2015 - Toronto Star

Santiago Calatrava

Meet the New Calatrava-Designed Bridge Under Construction in Downtown Dallas

Everything you wanted to know about the Margaret McDermott Bridge, under construction in Downtown Dallas.

June 4, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

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.