Transportation
Why Are New York Transit Projects So Expensive?
Going back to Robert Moses, New York City has a history of underestimating the price of major construction projects. Inflated infrastructure costs are prompting stakeholders to seek out root causes.
Dallas Streetcar Opens Today
A long-awaited streetcar line opens in Dallas today, with the possibility of future extensions of the system still on the table for local officials to approve.
Farewell to the Trusty Map Book
From the years roughly spanning the invention of the automobile to the invention of the smartphone, every driver in Los Angeles traveled with a Thomas Bros. map book. Those days are gone, but nostalgia for physical maps remains.
Three Es of Grade Crossing Safety: Focus on Enforcement
Education, Engineering, and Enforcement. MTA police are taking the last one very seriously at grade crossings they monitor on the Metro-North and LIRR lines since the February crash in Westchester County that killed five passengers and a motorist.
One City's Experience with Bike Licensing Requirements
Looking for a case study of bike licensing programs, which are sometimes recommended as programs to reduce thefts and increase bike safety? The city of Regina in Canada is ready to ditch its license program.
'Jobs Sprawl' Plagues Cleveland Commutes
Research from Brookings puts Cleveland in last place for improving access to jobs from 2000 through 2012. And jobs sprawl is up throughout the rest of the country as well.
The Fear Factor Behind the Success of Shared Streets
An editorial explains that the fear inspired by shared streets—the idea that pedestrians, bikes, and cars have equal claim to navigate the street without the regulatory layer implemented by traffic engineers—is exactly why they work.
Can Seattle Build 20,000 Affordable Units in 10 Years?
Frank Chiachiere provides some advice on how Seattle can achieve its ambitious goals for affordable housing over the next decade: build transit to places where land is less expensive.
Bike Share on San Francisco Peninsula in Jeopardy
Palo Alto may be one of America's most bike-friendly small cities, but when it comes to bikeshare, it's been a flop. It's not alone—ridership has been low in Mountain View and Redwood City as well.
Inside Controversial Jersey City Bikeshare Plans
The New Yorker looks into the motivations of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop—who takes the bike route less traveled.
Federal Dollars Still Erasing Sandy's Footprint
Subway restoration and resilience efforts depend for a large part on federal relief. South Ferry Station, still new when the storm hit, will basically be rebuilt from scratch.
First Mexico-U.S. Rail Crossing in a Century Almost Complete
Governing details a historic new infrastructure addition across the Rio Grande in Texas. The railroad crossing required a massive coordinated effort—just on the U.S. side of the border.
Florida Backs Miami Complete Streets Initiative
The Florida DOT has approved Miami's plan to rework busy Biscayne Boulevard. In the spirit of Complete Streets, vehicle lanes will be reduced and pedestrian/bike spaces expanded.
Los Angeles Releases Ambitious 'Sustainable City Plan'
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has ambitious plans to modernize the city. This week his administration laid out a sweeping sustainability agenda on matters of critical importance to the future of the nation's second largest city.
Should We Expect Transportation Network Companies to Make Airport Trips?
Only a few cities allow transportation network companies (TNCs) to pick up and drop off passengers at airports. According to one line of thinking, that service separates "first-tier" cities from the rest.
Study: Transit, Density Can't Overcome Sprawl on Carbon Emissions
A new study explains how building new transit and density along transit corridors isn't enough alone to reduce carbon emissions in metropolitan areas.
'Two-Ways' to Fix Our Neighborhoods
Expanding on earlier research about the impacts of one-way streets on outcomes such as public health and property values, a new study examines a citywide case study in Louisville.
U.S. Subway Car Design Behind the Curve
Yonah Freemark examines U.S. subway systems and notes the lack of "open gangways" (i.e., the space between the cars). Only in the U.S. do doors separate cars. What gives?
One Town's Crackdown on Sidewalk Bikers
As Columbia, Missouri prepares to crackdown on bikers riding on sidewalks in the city's business district, not much attention is given to their safety on the street.
How to Get Los Angeles' Jewish Communities on the Bus
Jewish communities in Los Angeles, though well served by public transit, tend to shy away from buses and trains. It's a familiar trend that's due for a change.
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.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
