Transportation

Big Challenges Ahead for Chicago's O'Hare Airport

After spending $10 billion since 2005 on capital improvements, Chicago's O'Hare is still losing business to competitors along with the battle of public opinion.

June 26, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

Friday Funny: All Signs Point to a Miserable Commute

Finally a road sign that tells it like it is.

June 26, 2015 - The New Yorker

Inflation, not Fuel Efficiency, Is Main Flaw of Gas Tax

Yes, vehicles have become more fuel efficient, but a just-released report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows that inflation is 3.5 times more responsible for the decline in the purchasing power of the gas tax.

June 25, 2015 - Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Senate Committee Will 'DRIVE' Transportation Reauthorization

The Senate's DRIVE Act is shaping up to be the first six-year transportation reauthorization bill since 2009. Notwithstanding the acronym, it's not all that bad, writes Tanya Snyder of Streetsblog USA. Finding funding for it is another story.

June 25, 2015 - National Journal

A Small Hike in Oregon Gas Tax to Come at High Environmental Cost

Oregon may end its low carbon fuel standard, one of two in the nation, to increase the gas tax by four cents and implement a bevy of clean fuel alternatives to replace the three-month-old clean fuels program.

June 24, 2015 - The Oregonian

Is Boston Ready for Gold Standard Bus Rapid Transit?

Gold Standard is the term used by the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy to define world-class BRT service. A recently released ITDP study, underwritten by the Barr Foundation, argues for more Gold Standard service.

June 24, 2015 - The Boston Globe

Detroit's M-1 Rail Line Credited for Delivering Investment—A Year Before Opening

The 3.3-mile M-1 Rail line in Detroit has been described as a boondoggle of unparalleled proportions. Boosters of the project, however, have gathering evidence of investment in neighborhoods along the route.

June 24, 2015 - The Detroit News

One Way to Vision Zero: Reward Good Behavior

A simple, innovative idea behind Seattle's Vision Zero initiative: good driving behavior should generate more positive outcomes.

June 23, 2015 - CityLab

Columnist Reacts as Complete Streets Come to Lawrence, Kansas

A local columnist wonders if complete streets upgrades like the one on 31st Street in Lawrence, Kansas are the new future of roads.

June 23, 2015 - Lawrence Journal-World

Has Fuel Efficiency Been Scapegoated to Avoid Raising the Federal Gas Tax?

Vermont's Transportation Secretary points to increased fuel efficiency as reason to look for an alternative revenue option, favoring Oregon's Road Usage Charge. Meanwhile, U.S. DOT reactivated its "ticker" to warn of funding cutoff after July 31.

June 23, 2015 - VPR

Bike Shed Netherlands

Faced With Flocks of Tourists—Town Will Charge for Bike Parking

Sausalito will charge for bike parking, instead of limiting the number of bikes entering the city's downtown, mostly from San Francisco by biking across the Golden Gate bridge and often taking a Golden Gate ferry back.

June 23, 2015 - Marinscope

Houston Traffic

Houston Rethinks Mass Transit

For decades, Houston has experienced car-oriented development, giving little attention to other forms of transportation. In recent years, however, rapid population growth and increase in traffic congestion has the city revisiting alternate options

June 23, 2015 - Doggerel

Take the 'Night Tube': London to Launch Overnight Subway Service

It might surprise many that London does not offer overnight service on its subway system—while cities like New York, Chicago, Berlin, and Sydney do. That will change in September, however.

June 23, 2015 - Quartz

trax light rail train in foreground, snow-covered mountains in background

Affordable Housing Follows Good Transit

More raw housing stock is only the first step. Without comprehensive transit, the value of density can't extend beyond the city center.

June 22, 2015 - Grist

Will N.Y.-N.J. Summit Kickstart America's Most Important Rail Project?

Peter Rogoff, the acting undersecretary of transportation, urged New York and New Jersey to agree to plans to advance Amtrak Gateway, the $15 billion Hudson River tunnels which he called the most important rail project in the country.

June 22, 2015 - NJ Spotlight

A First: Private Sector Prepares Regional Bike Plan, Backed with Cash

There are intercity Google buses, Google ferries, and now, a Google bike plan to connect neighboring Silicon Valley cities to the growing North Bayshore area of Mountain View. Google is offering $5 million to cities to implement the plan.

June 22, 2015 - Guardian Cities

Congressional Hearing Addresses Transportation Funding Problem

Transportation for America recaps the first meeting in three years by the House Ways and Means Committee to address transportation funding. Chairman Paul Ryan decried the $63 billion bailout of the Highway Trust Fund but ruled out a gas tax hike.

June 21, 2015 - T4America Blog

Streetcar Moving Along in Downtown Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council voted to allow the Los Angeles Streetcar project to begin preliminary engineering.

June 21, 2015 - Urbanize LA

Federal Transit Authority Reports Critical Flaws in D.C. Metro Operations

Described as an unprecedented federal safety inspection of operations at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority produced 78 safety fixes for the system.

June 21, 2015 - The Washington Post

Copenhagen Bikes

New Study Examines the Value of Bicycling in Copenhagen

Key to explaining the popularity of biking in Copenhagen is its cultural attitude, which is also based on sound cost-benefit analysis. Until Americans change how they value transport modes, protected bike lanes may be elusive.

June 20, 2015 - Fast Company

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.