Transportation

4 Steps to Building Bike Lanes in Your City

Want to encourage city leaders to hop on the biking bandwagon and expand cycling infrastructure where you live, but don't know where to start? Kristin Smith lays out four key steps for joining the "pedal-powered, green lane movement".

September 13, 2013 - Good

Meant to Deter, Utah's Bad Air Alerts Actually Increase Driving

Call it the law of unintended consequences. Alerts of "bad air days" that ask motorists in the Wasatch Front to reduce driving had the opposite effect, prompting some residents to drive away from lowlands to the mountains where air may be healthier.

September 12, 2013 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Pilot Program Will Monitor Car Computers to Fix New York Streets

A pilot program operated by New York's DOT will gather data from 500 city motorists' vehicles in order to find problematic city streets and help drivers reduce their gas use and increase their safety.

September 12, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Expanding Bike Lanes a Focus of Sydney "Access Strategy"

New South Wales Government have published the "City Centre Access Strategy", their vision for transport planning in Sydney for the next two decades. Jacob Saulwick reviews the mixed responses to the long awaited plan.

September 12, 2013 - Sydney Morning Herald

Livable Streets Advocates Are Winners on NYC Primary Day

Bill de Blasio wasn't the only candidate backed by the newly-formed livable streets political action committee StreetsPAC to emerge victorious from Tuesday's primary elections in NYC. 13 of 18 council candidates supported by StreetsPAC won.

September 12, 2013 - Streetsblog

The fronts of three double-decker buses in London

Is London Neglecting Its Most Popular Mode of Public Transport?

Carrying 2.3 billion passengers a year, London's buses are the most popular they've been in more than fifty years and 60 percent more utilized than in 2000. Is the city doing enough to plan for future demand and threats to service?

September 11, 2013 - The Guardian

Mind the Gap: Funding Hole Could Halt Downtown L.A. Streetcar Plans

When voters in downtown L.A. approved a special taxing district to help fund a new $125 million streetcar line, one small detail was left out of project cost estimates - $166 million in potential utility work. Might this gap kill the project?

September 11, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Colorado Floats Sales Tax for Transportation

A transportation study group is rolling out a proposal to place a .7%, 10-year general sales tax on the 2014 ballot with two-thirds of the revenue going for roads and one-third for transit. The state's 22-cent gas tax hasn't been raised since 1991.

September 11, 2013 - The Denver Post

W.Va Commission Proposes to Let Out-of Staters Pay Transportation Tab

It's the state transportation version of an hotel tax - increase a fee predominantly paid by outsiders. However, increasing and extending the toll on the West Virginia Turnpike won't be sufficient to meet all of the state's transportation needs.

September 10, 2013 - The Charleston Gazette

When Speeding Pays

Speeding is paying-off in the amount of $15 million for Seattle area schools thanks to speed-enforced cameras, a proven but nonetheless controversial traffic safety tool. Revenue will be used to make walking safer under a proposal by Mayor McGinn.

September 9, 2013 - The Seattle Times

Image of Chicago Lake Shore Drive Freeway

The Overlooked Beauty of the American Freeway

The constant criticism of America's freeways makes it difficult to appreciate this infrastructure as important economic and cultural artifacts and a wonderful way to see the country.

September 9, 2013 - New Geography

Third S.F. Cyclist Death Sparks Movement For Protected Bike Lane

The death of 24-year-old cyclist Amelie Le Moullac on August 14 marks the third this year by a truck, and the second by one turning right (known as a right hook) into the bike lane. Her death has set off a movement for safer streets in SoMa, S.F.

September 8, 2013 - Streetsblog SF

Concrete Pours into Foundation of San Francisco's Transbay Terminal

No sooner had the $6.4 billion eastern span of the Bay Bridge opened to traffic than the next huge transportation undertaking begun -- concrete began pouring for the new $4.5 billion Transbay Terminal. The bridge and terminal are related by history.

September 8, 2013 - San Francisco Business Times

Is Turnabout Fair Play?

If American politicans and bureaucrats had favored public transit or pedestrians as aggressively as they favored cars in the 20th century, public policy would be very different indeed.

September 8, 2013 - Michael Lewyn

Mapping Silicon Valley's Clandestine Private Transit Network

Project to map corporate shuttle routes of Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Google, & Facebook, outlines the forces behind gentrification in San Francisco and reveals a startling pattern of reverse sprawl.

September 7, 2013 - Wired

Does Obama's Keystone XL Decision Still Matter?

John Upton notes some startling changes among Gulf oil refineries - the ones that had been clamoring for the Keystone XL pipeline to be built in order to access Canada's oil sands. It's been two years - and the oil is flowing - with or without it.

September 7, 2013 - Grist

Red transmilenio bus stopped at station in Bogota

10 Most Innovative Sustainable Cities Recognized

Siemens and C40 have announced the winners of the inaugural City Climate Leadership Awards, recognizing the global cities demonstrating leadership and innovation in fighting climate change across ten separate categories.

September 7, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Bike and Pedestrian Improvements Boost Vehicle Speeds in NYC

New data from New York's Transportation Department shows that although miles of Manhattan street space have been turned over to bikes and pedestrians since 2008, average traffic speeds have actually increased, despite a consistent volume of vehicles.

September 7, 2013 - The New York Times

Buy Mass Transit Tickets With a Smartphone In Portland

Portland launches first U.S. mobile ticketing apps to enable mass transit riders to buy tickets with their iPhone and Android smartphones.

September 6, 2013 - Engadget

App To Warn You When You Are About To Be Hit By A Car

Carmakers are developing technologies to alert drivers and pedestrians if they are about to collide.

September 6, 2013 - The Car Connection

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.