Transportation

Lessons From Helsinki's Failed On-Demand Bus Experiment

Kutsuplus—an attempt to "reinvent carpooling for the algorithm age"—has failed in Helsinki. What can new systems, still operating in the United States, learn from its example?

March 12, 2016 - Citiscope

Accounting for Seasonal Variations in Transportation Mode

People use different transportation systems depending on the time of year, yet transportation planning rarely accounts for this seasonal variation.

March 12, 2016 - Metropolitan Planning Council

How Portland Will Pick Bikeshare Station Locations

Details are emerging about Biketown—the new bikeshare system coming to Portland. Portland is making use of online engagement and interactive mapping to inform station location choices.

March 11, 2016 - Bike Portland

Op-Ed: Transit Still Lacking in the Customer Service Department

An opinion piece says its time for transit agencies to start treating riders like valued customers.

March 11, 2016 - Voice of San Diego

Modern Tram Proposal Taking Shape in Baton Rouge

The Baton Rouge tram, as the city is describing its proposed transit project, now has a preferred route and is ready to proceed to the final stages of environmental review.

March 11, 2016 - The Advocate

Efforts to Increase Pedestrian Safety Take Hold in Nevada and Kentucky

With a new Governors Highway Safety Association report estimating that the number of pedestrian fatalities jumped 10 percent in 2015, the highest ever, we look at efforts in Nevada and Louisville, Ky. to increase pedestrian safety.

March 11, 2016 - Las Vegas Sun

New Jersey Transit Strike Looms Large on Sunday

The nation's second largest commuter railroad may go on strike this Sunday. New Jersey Transit's bus and light rail operations are not affected. Eleven rail unions have been operating without a contract since 2011.

March 11, 2016 - The New York Times

Bike on Sidewalk

Bicyclists on Sidewalks: Why They're Not Going Away, and What We Can Do About It

Simply banning bikes from riding on sidewalks does more harm than good. A better understanding of why people choose to ride bikes on the sidewalk will be necessary to create safer environments for all users.

March 10, 2016 - Ariel Godwin and Anne M. Price

Chicago Blue Line

Chicago Moves Forward on O'Hare Express

This month, the city of Chicago will choose a team of engineers to brainstorm an express rail line to O'Hare Airport. The plan has come under criticism for diverting future resources away from transit in low-income areas.

March 10, 2016 - Chi.Streetsblog

Distracted Driving Is the New Normal

A new study finds that U.S. drivers drive distracted more often than they devote their full attention to the road.

March 10, 2016 - CityLab

Chicago Buys $1.3 Billion in New Rail Cars

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will replace half its rail cars by the year 2020.

March 10, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

High-Speed Rail Lawsuit Ruling: California Plan Doesn't Violate Bond Act

The lawsuit by Kings County et.al. was a significant threat to California's $64 billion rail plan, based on the plan's ability to meet the terms promised in the 2008 proposition, such as travel time due to sharing tracks with Caltrain.

March 9, 2016 - The Fresno Bee

Report: Pedestrian Deaths Climbed 10 Percent in 2015

Pedestrian safety is a growing problem across the country, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

March 9, 2016 - The Christian Science Monitor

Transit Sparks Generational Conflict in Virginia's Hampton Roads

A controversy has emerged over the future of transportation in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, especially as it relates to demographics of the coveted "millennial workforce" variety.

March 9, 2016 - The Virginian Pilot

Heavy Rains Cause Bay Area Commuter Rail Derailment

California's much-needed rains took their toll Monday night on an Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) train transporting commuters between the San Joaquin and Silicon Valleys. Mudslides and a possible tree fall derailed two of the five passenger cars.

March 9, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Rainy Biker

Report Ranks the Cities With the Most Active Commuters

A benchmarking report by the Alliance for Biking and Walking reveals Boston as the nation's leader in active commutes.

March 9, 2016 - Fast Co.Exist

Street Fighting Woman: New Book by Janette Sadik-Khan Details Time at NYC DOT

The media response to Janette Sadik-Khan's new book has been at scale with the New York-sized ambitions of her tenure as commissioner of transportation.

March 9, 2016 - Eno Center for Transportation

Texas 288 Tollway: Big Public-Private Partnership Plans

A public-private partnership to build a large tollway south of Houston has taken important first steps. Construction will commence later this year.

March 8, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

Top Priority for Federal Railroad Administration: Reducing Crossing Crashes

Vehicle crashes at grade crossings have emerged as a top priority for Sarah Feinberg, the new Federal Railroad Administrator. Fatalities at rail crossings in 2014 increased by 15 percent from 2013.

March 8, 2016 - Progressive Railroading

Electric Car

The Dawn of the Electric Car

The electric car is poised to have its moment. In fact, the 2020s could be the decade of the electric car.

March 6, 2016 - Bloomberg Business

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.