Transportation

Alabama Road Signs

Alabama Bill Would Hike Gas and Diesel Taxes by a Nickel, and Then Some

A bill to increase both gas and diesel taxes by five cents in Alabama has passed its first committee on a voice vote and goes to the full House of Representatives on Thursday. The bill indexes both taxes using only two-cent increments.

September 16, 2015 - The Anniston Star

Proposed Santa Ana Branch Light Rail Would Connect Downtown Los Angeles and Artesia

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is exploring alignments for a new light rail line.

September 16, 2015 - Urbanize LA

Phoenix Light Rail

Light Rail Leading the Way in the Sun Belt

Cities traditionally thought of as car-centric are putting ambitious light rail plans at the center of ambitious plans for transit.

September 16, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

Cuomo and Christie Ask for Federal Funding for Hudson River Tunnels

The bi-partisan duo of governors from New Jersey and New York have penned a letter addressed to President Obama asking for a 50-50 funding share on the critical tunnel project for the Amtrak line connecting the two states.

September 15, 2015 - The Record

Buenos Aires bus stop

North America Needs a New Model for Pedestrian-Friendly Planning

Where pedestrian-only streets have failed to draw business, the problem may be a failure to think big enough.

September 15, 2015 - The Globe and Mail

White House Smart Cities Initiative Uses Connected Vehicle Technology

Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx unveiled a $42 million transportation program in Manhattan that is part of President Obama's new $160 million Smart Cities Initiative. Funds will go to NYC, Tampa, and Wyoming to reduce congestion and crashes.

September 15, 2015 - The White House

Northeast Ohio Regional Planning Efforts to 'Fix It First' in Urban Areas

The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) has committed to a drastic shift in its transportation planning paradigms.

September 15, 2015 - Green City Blue Lake

What's the Rush on the Highway Bill Reauthorization?

Surprise! A three-month transportation funding bill turns out to have funds for nine months! While unanticipated funds certainly sound like good news, it also takes immediate pressure off the House to working on a six-year reauthorization bill.

September 15, 2015 - The Hill

Congestion versus mobility

Carbon-Saving Urban Development Makes Economic Sense

A new report stresses the importance of international cooperation on low-carbon development.

September 14, 2015 - The Guardian

Protected Bike Lane Los Angeles

Los Angeles' Mobility Plan 2035 Slapped with Lawsuit

The group, Fix The City, sued the city on September 9 on its visionary plan that emphasizes transit, biking, and walking, claiming the traffic lane reductions will create more air pollution, imperil public safety, and add to traffic congestion.

September 14, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Uber Car

Uber's Stumble Into Urban Design

As companies like Uber, Lyft, and Bridj expand to small scale transit options, they are setting the stage for a new kind of small scale transit oriented development where the new station is the sidewalk.

September 14, 2015 - Mobility Lab

Bike Lane

Australia's 'Biggest Bike Lane Skeptic'

The New South Wales minister for roads has taken a firm position against separate bike lanes. Sydney cycling advocates say his policies will bring the city out of step with its global peers.

September 14, 2015 - The Guardian

California Transportation Funding Bill Stalls in Final Week

Gov. Jerry Brown's intervention to soffen Sen. Jim Beall's transportation funding bill by halving both the gas and diesel tax hikes did not assuage Republican critics of the bill, so Brown is extending the special legislative session past Friday.

September 13, 2015 - The Sacramento Bee

Walking

More on the U.S. Surgeon General's Historic Pro-Walking Stance

The idea that Americans should walk rather than drive: "a radical idea wrapped in a banal government document."

September 12, 2015 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Hudson Yards Subway Station

New York's First New Subway Station In 25 Years Opens Sunday

On Sept. 13, the Hudson Yards Subway Station, the new Manhattan terminal for the #7 line that terminates in Flushing, Queens, will open with a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony considering the $2.4 billion cost for the one mile extension.

September 12, 2015 - The New York Times

California Won't Require 50 Percent Reduction In Oil Consumption After All

An ambitious energy-climate bill strongly backed by Gov. Jerry Brown was stripped of one of its three goals—to reduce oil consumption in half by 2030. The other two goals, increasing the renewable portfolio and increasing energy efficiency, remain.

September 12, 2015 - Sacramento Bee

Bikeshare Finally Coming to the City that Made Bikes Famous—Portland

Still without a corporate sponsor, Portland is moving ahead with a bikeshare proposal that will add 600 shared bikes to the city's streets.

September 11, 2015 - The Oregonian

Atlanta's Transit System to Add Cell, WiFi Access

"Cool, cool, cool, cool, in every way," is Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority CEO Keith Parker's assessment of a proposed deal to install cell phone and WiFi access in transit stations and tunnels.

September 11, 2015 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Dallas Puts New Downtown Light Rail Line on the Fast Track

The Dallas City Council has given preliminary approval to a proposed light rail line, currently called D2, which would add service capacity to the downtown core.

September 11, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

A New Algorithm to Predict Train Delays

An algorithm developed in Sweden adds an extra layer of reliability for rail commuters.

September 10, 2015 - Gizmodo

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.

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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.