Transportation
What Can Vancouver Teach Melbourne?
Melbourne has topped numerous global lists for its quality of life, but it certainly has room to improve. Former Vancouver Planning Director Brent Toderian sees lessons from his hometown for the world class city down under.
Restructured Gas Tax, EV Fees Proposed in Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker's transportation secretary is proposing a four-part tax, fee, and transfer plan to raise $750 million over the next two years. It would lower the gas tax while adding a wholesale sales tax and charge EVs and hybrids an annual fee.
North Carolina Planners: Where to Build Light Rail (and Should it Be Built)?
This week residents in the North Carolina Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) will provide input on key segments of a future regional light rail system. The project has been analyzed for 15 years, yet the question of whether to build it remains.
Friday Eye Candy: SPUR's Urban Cartography Exhibit
Allison Arieff provides a glimpse to the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research's new exhibit featuring interesting maps of the San Francisco Bay Area.
How to Marginalize the Automobile
In a column for Fast Forward Weekly, Steven Snell explores the complexities in lessening the domestication of the automobile and its perceived necessity in our day-to-day lives.
Goodbye Two-Car Household; Hello Rideshare and Carshare
A new study from KPMG predicts that the U.S. will go from a majority multi-car household to one where only 43% of households have more than one motor vehicle by 2040, and rideshare and car-share, along with demographic changes, will play key roles.
Friday Funny: Denmark vs. U.S. in an Epic Rap Battle Between Bike Advocates
A cartoon by Streetsblog blogger John Greenfield imagines a fictitious rap battle in the style of the popular YouTube channel, "Epic Rap Battles from History"—except the rap battle is between two luminaries of the bike advocacy movement.
First: Portland's Citywide Skateboard Count
According to a first-of-its-kind count of skateboarders in Portland (long known as a mecca for the sport), thousands of skateboarders in Portland are on the streets everyday, with few accommodations made to the popular mode of transportation.
Study: The Parking Tax Benefit Subsidizes Congestion
A new report, "Subsidizing Traffic Congestion: The Multibillion-Dollar Tax Subsidy That’s Making Your Commute Worse," was released earlier this week by TransitCenter and Frontier Group.
The High Price of Raising Low State Gas Taxes
Now that an increase in New Jersey's gas tax is before the legislature, Christopher Maag of The (New Jersey) Record looks at how neighboring states Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York have met their transportation needs.
A Planning Career to Help People Share—Bikes, of Course
The following interview, as published in the 4th Edition of the Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs, features Kimberly Lucas, bicycle program specialist for the District Department of Transportation.
Defending the Metropolitan Council as Political Support for Regional Planning Wanes
An editorial in the MinnPost supports the regional planning of the Metropolitan Council in the Twin Cities metro area, which has been beset by a string of controversial decisions.
Did Obama Bet on the Wrong Electric Vehicle Technology?
With Toyota's long-waited fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV) hitting showrooms in the U.S. this week, Kenneth Chang, science reporter for The New York Times, delves further into the technology, starting with how it fared under two administrations.
Arlington County Nixes Streetcar Plans to Chagrin of Fairfax County
A decision by Arlington County to cancel plans for the Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar projects has dealt a blow to Fairfax County's redevelopment efforts. The line was expected to open in 2020.
Michigan May Drop Fuel Excise Tax for Wholesale Sales Tax
The Republican-controlled Michigan State Senate voted November 13 to increase the state's 19-cents per gallon fuel tax by converting it to a wholesale fuel sales tax, resulting in an anticipated $1.2 billion annual revenue increase.
The Chicken and the Egg: Gentrification and Bicycling
Shaun Courtney examines the current politics surrounding gentrification and bicycling throughout the country and what planners can do to address the issue.
How Congress Skews Commuter Benefits
Current commuter benefits favor employees driving to work instead of taking public transportation, despite years of advocacy and lobbying efforts in Congress.
Leinberger Op-Ed Supports Streetcars as Economic Development Tool
"Opposing streetcars and light rail today would be like opposing the building of freeways, the Beltway and Metrorail in the 20th century," writes Chris Leinberger in an op-ed for the Washington Post.
Citing High Rate of Adoption, Los Angeles Considers Expanded Freeway Toll Lanes
The use of toll lanes on two of the Los Angeles region's freeways has proven popular enough that county transportation planners are considering expanding the system.
Switching to Transit in Atlanta—Affordable but Unlikely
Darin from ATL Urbanist picks up on a recent report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) finding that residents of Atlanta can save big money by ditching their cars and riding transit.
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
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
