Transportation
Virginia Railway Express Adding New Tracks to Increase Capacity
A Richmond Times-Dispatch article details a pair of projects to add third tracks to Virginia Railway Express stations—one set to complete this month and one just getting ready for construction.
'Community Partners Program' Offers $5 Memberships for Capital Bikeshare
The new Community Partners Program will help Capital Bikeshare respond to concerns about the system's lack of access for low-income and minority residents.
Friday Funny: The Death Star's Transit System Is the Best
If you've been waiting for a nice crossover of the Star Wars universe and the planning and urban design universe, here it is.
Is Tesla Ready for an Apple Moment?
A Quartz article describes the recent announcement of the Model 3, and the subsequent response by the market, as a "slow-motion disruption of the global auto industry."
On the Risk of Terrorist Attack on Public Transportation in the U.S.
The administrator of the Transportation Security Administration says public transportation systems in the United States are relatively safe from terrorist attack. His reasons for that assessment might surprise.
Kentucky Governor Signs No-Toll Bill, Likely Sets Back Ohio River Bridge 10 Years
As promised, Gov. Matt Bevin signed the P3 bill that allows private funding, but bans tolls, to pay for the $2.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge project over the Ohio River that connects Covington, Ky. to Cincinnati. Now he needs to find the funding.
The Transportation Policy of Four Presidential Candidates
An article for Next City reveals the transportation policy platforms of Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders, asking the question of whether any of them will shift new support to public transit.
Community Engagement Highlights from APA 2016
As I do every year at the APA National Conference, I did my best to catch as many community engagement sessions as possible. Here are highlights, takeaways, and the common threads I noticed this year.
Bruce Rauner's Highway to a Shrinking Chicago
How a proposed expansion of Chicago's I-55 could further disperse Chicago's population.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
