Transportation

Details about ParkDC—Washington, D.C.'s Performance Parking Program

As the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) quickly approaches the May target for the launch of ParkDC, Greater Greater Washington takes a closer look at what the performance parking program will entail.

April 15, 2015 - Greater Greater Washington

Smartphone car

Boston Parking Meters to Get Smart

Over the next two years, Boston will replace its old parking meters with new ones connected to the internet. With this groundwork in place, pay-by-phone parking is the next step.

April 14, 2015 - BetaBoston

Parking Sign

Book Review: Before 'Park' Became a Verb

With so much to learn just by reading a Wall Street Journal book review of "Bike Battles: A History of Sharing the American Road" by James Longhurst, history professor at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, imagine what's to learn by reading the book.

April 13, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

Businesses Want Vermont to Adopt Nation's First Carbon Tax

Vermont's legislature will take up the carbon tax proposal this week. The tax is construed as largely revenue neutral, i.e., offset by tax decreases and credits, and apply to heating and transportation fuels. Gov. Peter Shumlin has doubts.

April 13, 2015 - WCAX-TV

Seattle Streetcar

New Seattle Streetcars Begin Tests

The First Hill line's streetcars are set to begin service in summer of 2015, and the city is already assembling funds for an extension.

April 13, 2015 - Capitol Hill Times

NYC Subway Construction

Why Are New York Transit Projects So Expensive?

Going back to Robert Moses, New York City has a history of underestimating the price of major construction projects. Inflated infrastructure costs are prompting stakeholders to seek out root causes.

April 13, 2015 - Capital

Dallas Streetcar Opens Today

A long-awaited streetcar line opens in Dallas today, with the possibility of future extensions of the system still on the table for local officials to approve.

April 13, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Los Angeles Harbor Freeway

Farewell to the Trusty Map Book

From the years roughly spanning the invention of the automobile to the invention of the smartphone, every driver in Los Angeles traveled with a Thomas Bros. map book. Those days are gone, but nostalgia for physical maps remains.

April 13, 2015 - New York Times Magazine

Three Es of Grade Crossing Safety: Focus on Enforcement

Education, Engineering, and Enforcement. MTA police are taking the last one very seriously at grade crossings they monitor on the Metro-North and LIRR lines since the February crash in Westchester County that killed five passengers and a motorist.

April 13, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

One City's Experience with Bike Licensing Requirements

Looking for a case study of bike licensing programs, which are sometimes recommended as programs to reduce thefts and increase bike safety? The city of Regina in Canada is ready to ditch its license program.

April 12, 2015 - CBC News

Traffic and Speed

'Jobs Sprawl' Plagues Cleveland Commutes

Research from Brookings puts Cleveland in last place for improving access to jobs from 2000 through 2012. And jobs sprawl is up throughout the rest of the country as well.

April 11, 2015 - Green City Blue Lake

The Fear Factor Behind the Success of Shared Streets

An editorial explains that the fear inspired by shared streets—the idea that pedestrians, bikes, and cars have equal claim to navigate the street without the regulatory layer implemented by traffic engineers—is exactly why they work.

April 11, 2015 - The American Conservative

Can Seattle Build 20,000 Affordable Units in 10 Years?

Frank Chiachiere provides some advice on how Seattle can achieve its ambitious goals for affordable housing over the next decade: build transit to places where land is less expensive.

April 10, 2015 - Seattle Transit Blog

Bike Share on San Francisco Peninsula in Jeopardy

Palo Alto may be one of America's most bike-friendly small cities, but when it comes to bikeshare, it's been a flop. It's not alone—ridership has been low in Mountain View and Redwood City as well.

April 10, 2015 - Palo Alto Online

Inside Controversial Jersey City Bikeshare Plans

The New Yorker looks into the motivations of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop—who takes the bike route less traveled.

April 10, 2015 - The New Yorker

Subway Tunnel

Federal Dollars Still Erasing Sandy's Footprint

Subway restoration and resilience efforts depend for a large part on federal relief. South Ferry Station, still new when the storm hit, will basically be rebuilt from scratch.

April 9, 2015 - Second Ave. Sagas

First Mexico-U.S. Rail Crossing in a Century Almost Complete

Governing details a historic new infrastructure addition across the Rio Grande in Texas. The railroad crossing required a massive coordinated effort—just on the U.S. side of the border.

April 9, 2015 - Governing

Complete Street Vancouver

Florida Backs Miami Complete Streets Initiative

The Florida DOT has approved Miami's plan to rework busy Biscayne Boulevard. In the spirit of Complete Streets, vehicle lanes will be reduced and pedestrian/bike spaces expanded.

April 9, 2015 - Miami Today

Los Angeles Releases Ambitious 'Sustainable City Plan'

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has ambitious plans to modernize the city. This week his administration laid out a sweeping sustainability agenda on matters of critical importance to the future of the nation's second largest city.

April 9, 2015 - Los Angeles Daily News

Should We Expect Transportation Network Companies to Make Airport Trips?

Only a few cities allow transportation network companies (TNCs) to pick up and drop off passengers at airports. According to one line of thinking, that service separates "first-tier" cities from the rest.

April 8, 2015 - The Indianapolis Star

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.