Transportation

Planning for a Network of Trails in the Heart of the Silicon Valley

San Jose, California's Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services has begun the process of updating its Trail Strategic Plan.

April 4, 2016 - San Jose Mercury News

The Golden State of Disabled Drivers

"Something is wrong," proclaimed Los Angeles Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D), "when one in eight California drivers claims a disability." Gatto has introduced two bills: one to address disabled parking, the other could promote variable pricing of parking.

April 4, 2016 - Streetsblog California

How High is Too High for Transportation Sales Taxes?

Sales taxes are regressive, but unlike the gas tax, they bear no relationship to transportation. Should a November transportation ballot measure pass, sales taxes in three cities in the county of Los Angeles would exceed 10 percent.

April 4, 2016 - KPCC

Amtrak Crash Shuts Down Northeast Corridor Service on Sunday Morning

An Amtrak train that originated in Boston and headed to Savannah, Ga. struck a backhoe working on tracks about 15 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Two Amtrak construction workers in or near the backhoe were killed; 31 train passengers were injured.

April 4, 2016 - Planetizen

Rockville Pike

Op-Ed: An 18-Lane Street Is Too Complete

Rockville, Maryland has plans to create a king-sized complete street along Rockville Pike, incorporating lanes for cars, bikes, buses, and more space for landscaping. But can a street like that still serve pedestrians?

April 3, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Jersey City, Hoboken in Bikeshare Spat

Two New Jersey cities square off when one accuses the other of abusing public resources—this familiar story is given novel form by bikeshare and public bike racks.

April 2, 2016 - The Jersey Journal

Plans Advance for Orange County Streetcar

The $289 million streetcar would serve the cities of Santa Ana (population 329,00), county seat and second densest in California after San Francisco, and Garden Grove (population 170,000) on a 4.1-mile route. Service could begin 2020.

April 2, 2016 - Orange County Breeze

World Peace

Study: Self-Driving Cars Likely to Restore 70% of Lost Faith in Humanity

A new study also finds reason to believe that self-driving cars will make everyone nicer and generally more affable that any point in human history since the advent of the car.

April 1, 2016 - Planetizen April 1st Edition

Hokkaido Shinkansen Now in Service

As of Saturday, Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, was connected to Tokyo by the newest addition to Japan's iconic Shinkansen bullet trains. The 513-mile route includes 33.4 miles in "the world's deepest operational main-line rail tunnel."

March 31, 2016 - The Telegraph

Study: There's Too Much Parking in Chicago

With underground parking spaces costing $37,000 and more to build in Chicago, it might come as a shock that a recent study found much more parking supply than demand around the city's apartment buildings.

March 31, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

D.C. Officials: Metro Closures Could Span Six Months

Just a single day with D.C. Metro was bad, but it's possible the closures were just getting started.

March 31, 2016 - The Washington Post

Planning Begins for Bus Rapid Transit Route in Milwaukee

A new website and a pair of public meetings kick off the planning process for an East-West bus rapid transit (BRT) route in Milwaukee County.

March 31, 2016 - Urban Milwaukee

Legislature Raises Questions on Draft 2016 California High-Speed Rail Business Plan

Uncertainty as to whether cap-and-trade funding would continue past 2020 and opposition to the initial operating segment leaving out the city of Merced were two issues that arose during a Assembly Transportation Committee hearing of the plan.

March 30, 2016 - Fresno Bee

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Wants to End Cash Payments

Boston is the latest of a growing number of cities that could end the use of cash to may for transit tickets. The change does not come without some concern for riders.

March 30, 2016 - The Boston Globe

Hybrid Bus

Twin Cities Suburbs on an Anti-Bus Crusade

Residents of suburbs located east of St. Paul in Minnesota have coalesced to oppose the Gateway Corridor Gold Line project, which would connect 12 stops along a bus rapid transit line.

March 29, 2016 - Pioneer Press

Benchmarks: Places on the Move Measure Up

All Planetizen readers should read the full 200-page Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2016 Benchmarking Report. If you haven't taken the time yet, Hazel Borys shares some of the best bits.

March 29, 2016 - PlaceShakers

Meet Flow: Google's Transportation Data Revolution

Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs is readying a product called Flow to help cities and counties make the most of transportation data. The news is another step along the path to a future version of transportation.

March 29, 2016 - The New York Times

New York Subway

New York Subway Service Lags as Ridership Grows

Increasing ridership, coupled with decreasing service, means a very crowded subway system in New York City.

March 29, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

Bikes Could Be More Common Than Cars in London by 2019

A new report from Transport for London details the drastic growth of bike travel in one of the world's most famous and powerful cities.

March 29, 2016 - road.cc

Creating an Urban Mobility Ecosystem Helps Public and Private Actors

With new transportation options coming to cities from a plethora of innovators and entrepreneurs, how will public transit agencies respond? Are these modes in competition, or does their widespread use actually benefit one another?

March 29, 2016 - The Planning Report

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.