Transportation
National Safety Council Reports Huge Jump in 2015 Traffic Fatalities
According to preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council, 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2015, an 8 percent jump from 2014. In fact, the annual increase is the most in half a century. Note that the figure differs from NHTSA's.
A Change of Direction for California High-Speed Rail
In the face of political opposition and mounting construction costs in Southern California, the state High-Speed Rail Authority has chosen to build north from the Central Valley to San Jose rather than south from Fresno to the San Fernando Valley.
The Continuing Story of the High Costs of Free Parking
A new study has found that despite higher monetary incentives, most commuters won't ditch their cars as long as their parking remains free.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Hoverboards Unsafe Until Regulated
The federal government will implement safety protocols for the popular new personal mobility device known as hoverboards. Hoverboards are deemed officially unsafe until the industry complies with the new regulations.
Auto Repairs From Potholes Got You Down? You Are Not Alone
A new report from the AAA indicates that American motorists encounter damage from potholes three times a year, with each incident costing an average $300 to repair. Middle and working class drivers feel the pinch disproportionately.
Advocates and Planners Debate the Oregon DOT's Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
Public comment closed earlier this week on the Oregon Department of Transportation's (ODOT) draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The plan has a ways to go before advocates, elected officials, and planners are on the same page.
From 'Traffic' Planning to 'Transportation' Planning: Toronto's Pivot to the Future
Ken Greenberg, the former director of architecture and urban design for the city of Toronto, sits down to discuss how Toronto needs to transform to ensure a less auto-reliant future that serves a changing demographic of younger urban dwellers.
Federal Report Finds Increasing Numbers of Traffic Deaths
With more driving comes a lot more deaths on the nation's roads. The question is why traffic deaths increase at a greater rate than vehicle miles traveled.
Report Supports Road Tolls and VMT Fees over Gas Tax
The Congressional Budget Office takes aim at transportation funding and spending. It notes with alarm a $143 billion federal subsidy since 2008 and recommends charging motorists directly via vehicle-miles-traveled fees and road tolls.
Champion of L.A.'s 'Neighborhood Integrity Initiative' Speaks
A longtime Los Angeles journalist has joined the cause of a sweeping anti-growth initiative that has city leaders on high alert.
What New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Can Learn From New Jersey
Mayor de Blasio wants to build a $2.5 billion, 17-mile Brooklyn-Queens streetcar (BQX). Emma G. Fitzsimmons of The New York Times suggests he look for tips across the River—not the East but the Hudson, at NJ Transit's Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.
Towards a More Equitable Transit Future
"Next Stop Equity" evaluates the fairness of public transit service allocation and pricing in the Toronto, Canada region, and recommends policy reforms to better achieve social equity objectives.
Is Jersey City the New York Metro Area's Next Brooklyn?
A 10-minute commute to lower Manhattan has made this once dingy city into the fastest growing in the Garden State. Yet from an historic perspective, Jersey City was a "shrinking city," not unlike Detroit or Youngstown, until 25 years ago.
Political Support Coalesces Around Protected Bike Lanes in Philadelphia
Bike advocates have high hopes for the leadership of newly elected Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. Among Mayor Kenney's campaign promises: to add 30 miles of protected bike lanes.
Are State Rebates Necessary for Electric Vehicle Sales?
Campaigners for the Sierra Club's electric vehicle initiative make the case that New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo needs to offer a state rebate of $2,000 to $4,000 to make EVs more attractive to car buyers now that he's phasing out coal power.
Orange County Retooling Bus Service to Reverse Transit Declines
Orange County provides the latest development in the ongoing experiment with transit in Southern California, hoping that a high-frequency bus grid can reverse slumping ridership numbers.
Toronto Planners Shopping Massive Transit Plans
What's being described as an unprecedented outreach program will gather public feedback on a total of seven provincial and city-led transit projects for the Toronto area.
Cheap Gas Affecting Amtrak's Bottom Line
Amtrak will be forced to make cuts of almost 4 percent, due primarily to low gasoline prices.
The Bay Area's Coming 'Freeway Revolution'
This will not be a revolution against freeways, as some may have hoped, but a revolution marked by new express lanes totaling 550 miles, beginning with a new stretch of 14 miles on I-580 through Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore in the East Bay.
Slow Express Lanes Causes L.A. County Metro to Tinker With Toll Pricing
As more solo-commuters have moved into the express pay lanes designed to quickly move traffic on Los Angeles's congested freeway system, speeds have dropped and L.A. Metro officials are looking to pricing disincentives to speed things up again.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
