Transportation
Op-Ed: The Cleveland Clinic Chooses Sprawl over Healthy Communities
A scathing critique of the land use, development, and transportation decisions of the Cleveland Clinic calls out the medical center for neglecting its role in the prioritizing healthy communities.
OPEC Sees U.S. Motorists as Their Ally
An IEA report suggests that oil prices have bottomed-out, are now on the rebound, and that demand for OPEC's oil will start rising next year. OPEC predicts that U.S. oil consumption will increase after years of decline, thanks to U.S. motorists.
Philadelphia Announces 'Indego' Bikeshare System—Opening this Spring
Indego will officially launch this spring with over 60 stations and 600 bikes. The city is already making plans to expand the system after its initial launch.
Greenprint 2015/2040 Plan Calls for 500 Miles of Greenways in the Memphis Region
A regional coalition has spent three years planning a network of greenspaces that will span in the Tri-State area surrounding Memphis, Tennessee. The Greenprint 2015/2040 plan was released to the public last week.

Trains Are Always Better than Buses, Right?
Josh Barro provide examples galore of why the answer to that question isn't always yes—where costly rail investment has been to the detriment of existing transit. His column targets proposed projects, such as New York's LaGuardia Airport AirTrain.

Needed: A Fresh Approach to Funding U.S. Infrastructure
Kenneth Orski, editor and publisher of Innovation NewsBriefs, examines how state governments are beginning to accept more responsibility for transportation funding.
Report: Balance Needed for New York's Manhattan-Centric Transit System
The Regional Plan Association released a report this week finding New York's transit system to be irrationally skewed toward Manhattan service. The report proposes a list of capital projects to correct the imbalance.
Political Power Coalesces around I-345 Teardown Proposal in Dallas
The politics of urban highways will play out in Dallas in the coming years. A new political action committee, the Coalition for a New Dallas, will push for I-345 between downtown and Deep Ellum to be torn down.

Is California's High Speed Rail the Transcontinental Railroad of its Time?
Journalist Kathleen Sharp, whose great-grandfather worked on the transcontinental railroad, draws comparisons between that epic achievement and the construction of California's high speed rail in this New York Times op-ed.

Celebrating the Best Complete Streets Policies of 2014
The nationwide trend of cities, counties, and regions adopting complete streets policies continued its momentum in 2014. A new report from the National Complete Streets Coalition surveys the field and decides which is the best of the best.
Transitmix Finds Professional Applications, Municipal Partners
Transitmix, an online tool for sketching out and testing fantasy transit routes, has evolved beyond its original mass appeal to become a trusted tool for transportation planners around the country.
How 'Awful Transit Policy' Led a Man to Commute 21 Miles by Foot
Stephen Henderson pens a strongly worded response to the story of James Robertson, who commutes by foot up to 21 miles a day between Detroit and Rochester Hills. Robertson is a source of pride—the transit system that neglects the region, a disgrace.
Phoenix's $30 Billion Wish List for Transportation Spending
Phoenix's transit tax, Transit 2000, will expire in 2020. City leaders have prepared a 30-year plan for transportation to sell the idea of a renewed sales tax. Now taxpayers will have to decide if it’s the right kind of list for the city's future.
Proposed Dallas High Speed Rail Station Hopes to Attract Game-Changing TOD
The Dallas Business Journal provides in depth coverage on the current planning efforts behind two proposed high-speed rail station locations in Dallas.
Proposal would Lower New York's Gas Prices by Cutting the Gas Tax
Call it $2 gas price envy. Though New York gas prices have dropped $1.20 from a year ago, they are also 25-cents above the national average. State Sen. Jim Seward hopes to spark a statewide movement to reduce prices by reducing state gas taxes.

Cities and the Hasselhoff Effect
All of a sudden, the viability of driverless cars seems to be on the rise. It's a worrying notion for anyone skeptical about technology. And yet, this advancement may help cities regain the charm and vibrancy they lost in the automobile age.
Measuring Brainwaves to Map the Stress Level of Bike Routes
Anyone who uses a bike to navigate their city knows that every ride has stretches that are much more stressful than others. A new project collects data from brainwaves to map the stress levels of bikers in New York City.
Examining Rail's Safety Record after Metro-North's Worst Crash
A column in The Week argues that notwithstanding Tuesday's horrific crash of a Metro-North train that killed five passengers, rail is a much safer mode than driving. However, rail deaths are increasing.

New Index Ranks Cities by their Transportation Apps
In some cities, it can feel like a new era of transportation—with new options like real-time bus arrival data, on-demand cars-for-hire, and more, all available through a smart phone. Which cities are out in front of the new world?
Delaware Gas Tax Funds Subsidize General Fund
While Congress has subsidized the Highway Trust Fund with over $60 billion since 2008, some states may do the opposite, i.e., transfer funds from their gas tax-filled transportation trust funds to the state's general fund to cover operating expenses.
Pagination
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)