Transportation

Construction Begins Raising San Francisco Bike Lane

A small section of the well-used, protected bike lane on San Francisco's busy Market Street will be raised just a few inches to increase bicycle safety. Construction began Monday and should take a month to complete.

October 20, 2015 - ABC7

A bus next to the re-located light rail station at Denver's Union Station

Questioning the Wisdom of Light Rail in the Sun Belt States

As Houston, Dallas and other sun belt cities build out their light-rail systems, some are asking if the investment is worth it.

October 20, 2015 - New Geography

A New Bridge Opens Today in Suburban Pittsburgh; An Old Bridge Closes

A new bridge across the Alleghany River will connect Oakmant and Harmar. Another bridge located in nearby Pittsburgh, made infamous by John Oliver, closed earlier this week.

October 20, 2015 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Interactive Map Allows Comparisons of the Nation's Traffic Camera Systems

Some cities take their surveillance of traffic violations very seriously. Washington, D.C., this time we're looking at you.

October 19, 2015 - Vox

High-Tech Lego Model Provides Interactive Transit Planning Test Bed

The process of building tactile models of neighborhoods as tools for planning outreach just got an upgrade with a high-tech, interactive Lego model built for the Boston area.

October 19, 2015 - CityLab

Safe Routes to School

Safe Routes for All Seattle Schools

Seattle continues to expand its efforts to improve walkability with the Safe Routes to School Program.

October 19, 2015 - Seattle Bike Blog

Houston Light Rail

Texas Cities See Mass Transit as a Path to Economic Development

Dallas and Houston's expanding light rail systems are helping boost economic development as new commercial and residential development sprouts up around transit stations.

October 19, 2015 - PBS NewsHour

New House Transportation Reauthorization Bill Expected for Mark Up This Week

The current patch bill funding highway and transit spending expires on Oct. 29. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has released a multi-year bill called the Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform Act of 2015 (STRR Act).

October 19, 2015 - The Hill

Cincinnati Streetcar Status: On Time and On Budget

The final piece of track has been laid for the forthcoming streetcar on Cincinnati's Second Street. The controversial project has so far been a breeze to build.

October 19, 2015 - Cincinnati Business Courier

Modern high speed bullet train in China

Chinese Rail Firm Pursuing High-Speed Rail Ambitions in California, Indonesia

The China Railway International Group, working with the Chinese Export-Import Bank, responded to the California High-Speed Rail Authority's "expressions of interest." They teamed up with China Development Bank to beat out the Japanese in Indonesia.

October 18, 2015 - Reuters

The Story of Diesel and Electric Cars in Europe

Two separate New York Times articles examine cars powered by electricity in Norway and diesel fuel in Britain and Western Europe in the wake of Volkswagen's emissions scandal. A critic of the Norway's e-car subsidies subtly ties the two together.

October 18, 2015 - The New York Times

Japan High Speed Rail

Report: Texas High-Speed Rail Worth $35 Billion in Economic Benefit by 2040

A report commissioned by Texas Central Partners is the first to calculate the potential economic benefit of a proposed privately developed high-speed rail connection between Houston and Dallas.

October 17, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

California Cyclists to Share Bike Lanes With Electric Skateboarders

Just as motorists have had to learn to share the road with cyclists, California cyclists may have to do the same in sharing bikes lanes with electric skateboard riders, according to a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 11.

October 17, 2015 - SF Gate

Ambitious Complete Streets Plan Proposed for Woodward Ave Between Detroit and Pontiac

The Woodward Avenue Action Association recently approved a plan for a complete streets makeover that would connect to the forthcoming M-1 streetcar and cross several city boundaries.

October 17, 2015 - Detroit Free Press

Colorado Expanding Tolling Systems on Two Denver-Area Highways

State transportation officials set new toll rates for two busy highway corridors outside Denver.

October 16, 2015 - The Denver Post

Seatle Skyline

Lawyer Sees the 'Ghost of Seattle's Future'

This favorable profile of Jack McCullough, a Seattle lawyer representing developers, highlights his role as a deal-maker. Recent agreements between his clients and Mayor Ed Murray may preserve a path forward for affordable housing.

October 16, 2015 - The Seattle Times

Complete Streets

Feds May Drop 'Highway-Inspired' Rules for Streets

The Federal Highway Administration may put an end to rules mandating wide lanes and "clear zones," making it easier to implement complete streets.

October 16, 2015 - Streetsblog USA

Philadelphia SEPTA Station

Planners Find Support for Rail Transit Connection from Lehigh Valley to Philadelphia

MoveLV: Long Range Transportation Plan process is finding support for the rebirth of defunct rail transit corridor between the Allentown-Easton-Bethlehem and the City of Brotherly Love.

October 16, 2015 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Dutch Fyra Train

Transit Use Thrives on Destination Density

If jobs, services, and other urban amenities are concentrated downtown, suburbanites can use transit to get there quickly without a car. Job sprawl makes transit useless outside central districts.

October 16, 2015 - City Observatory

Toyota Targets 2050 to Eliminate Carbon Emissions

Automakers are ramping up the production of fuel-cells vehicles—so much so that Toyota predicts the end of the conventional engine by the year 2050.

October 15, 2015 - Reuters

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.

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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.