Transportation

Twin Cities' Green Line Emphasizes Community Integration

Funding from a nonprofit initiative provides concrete measures to prevent displacement due to the construction of the Green Line in the Twin Cities.

June 16, 2014 - FastCompany Exist

A SEPTA R5 commuter train heading for Doylestown, Pennsylvania from Lansdale station.

Obama Intervenes On Philly Rail Strike

President Obama signs executive order to end SEPTA transit strike, establishes emergency labor mediation board in response to Governor Corbett's request.

June 16, 2014 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Empty Parking Garage

A Parking Paradox

Minimum parking requirements affect developer behavior most where they are most controversial: in downtown neighborhoods. In suburbs where they may just mimic the market, the arguments for such rules are paradoxically even weaker.

June 16, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

Who Should Pay for Highways: Motorists or Oil Companies?

A new transportation funding option proposed by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) would repeal the 18.4-cent gas tax, unchanged since 1993, with a "small" tax levied against oil companies on each barrel of oil used to make gasoline.

June 16, 2014 - The Oregonian

Orlando Street

Nation's Most Dangerous City for Pedestrians Becoming Safer

A Smart Growth America report put the spotlight on Orlando and the entire state of Florida as leading the nation in pedestrian deaths per capita. NPR investigate what is being done to lose the infamous title.

June 16, 2014 - NPR

Traffic Jam 1970s

Study: Traffic Forecasts Are Often Inaccurate

In a recent review of the state-of-the-art, two planning researchers conclude that traffic forecasts often fail to accurately predict that demand for new transportation infrastructure.

June 16, 2014 - Transport Reviews

Philadelphia-Area Commuter Rail on Strike

Two rail unions have forced a shut-down of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority commuter rail service on Saturday (June 14), but not affecting SEPTA bus, trolley, subway or high speed rail service. Gov. Tom Corbett may take action.

June 15, 2014 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Straight Talk in Maine on Roads, Bridges, and Rail Maintanence

A Democrat and a Republican who serve on Maine's Joint Standing Committee on Transportation make a strong case for "finding the money" to keep roads, bridges, rail lines, and ports in good repair. They skirt around the issue of raising taxes though.

June 15, 2014 - Portland Press Herald

Toll Road Truck

The Dawn of the Toll Era in Dallas

Some are calling it a political crisis, but no matter the cause of the trend, toll roads are about soon to be a ubiquitous fact of life in North Texas.

June 14, 2014 - Dallas Morning News

Banksy Sweeping

No Fix for Rundown Sidewalks and Streets in Los Angeles

The city of Los Angeles has been searching for years for a fiscal solution to the deplorable conditions of its streets and sidewalks, but a recent proposal to increase sales taxes by a half-cent to 9.5 percent is now dead.

June 13, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

SouthWest Transit

A Transit Boom in Minneapolis' Southwest Suburbs (Summer-Long Bike-Share Included)

SouthWest Transit, amidst a period of increased ridership, has added new express routes, new buses, and even a new bike-share program. Motivating the agency, in part at least, for are the changes due if and when light rail arrives to the suburbs.

June 13, 2014 - Minneapolis Star-Tribune

States Address Impending Cut-off of Federal Transportation Funds

With federal highway funds likely to be cut off in August unless Congress can reach an agreement on a stopgap solution, some states, e.g., MO, VT, GA, AR have taken matters into their own hands to ensure that vital construction projects continue.

June 13, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Pennsylvania's $2.3 Billion Transportation Funding Plan Clearing Project Backlog

In November, Pennsylvania approved the state's comprehensive transportation funding plan, also known as Act 89. The plan will spend $2.3 billion over five years, and has provided a productive signal to regional and local transportation planning.

June 13, 2014 - PlanPhilly

First Commercial Drones Take to the Skies after FAA Approval

The first FAA-approved commercial drone flights took place this week. The flights will inform the FAA's policy expected by 2015 regarding non-military drone flights, per a mandate from Congress.

June 13, 2014 - The Hill

Labor Unrest Surrounds Transit Systems in Brazil on the World Cup's Opening Day

Questions about workers' strikes in two transportation systems persisted right up until the launch of the World Cup, the world's most watched sporting event, today in Brazil.

June 12, 2014 - AP via Yahoo News

Double-Checking Chicago's Ambitious Bike Lane Plans

Checking in on the status of Chicago's ambitious plans to add 645 miles of bike lanes by 2020, one journalist finds a number of bikers who are questioning some of the choices made by planners.

June 12, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

For Sale: Air Rights at MARTA's Urban Train Stations

MARTA is exploring the desire of developers to build mixed-use buildings over its urban train stations. Any such deal would be the first of its kind in MARTA's 40-plus-year history.

June 12, 2014 - SaportaReport

Traffic and Speed

Is Traffic Speed Compliance A Congestion Cost?

Conventional evaluation often exaggerates congestion costs by using baseline travel speeds which exceed speed limits. This assumes that traffic speed compliance is a congestion cost that justifies major infrastructure investments to alleviate.

June 11, 2014 - Todd Litman

Study: Car Sharing Reduces VMT Over Time

Research out of UC Berkeley shows that car sharing lowers all customers' vehicle mileage by about a quarter over time.

June 11, 2014 - San Francisco Bay Guardian

The Demographics of Pedestrian Safety

While pedestrian safety affects all areas, it disproportionately affects cities with large minority populations because they are more likely to walk than whites. Santa Ana, Calif. a majority "minority" city, is taking steps to make walking safer.

June 11, 2014 - Aljazeera America

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

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.