Transportation

MARTA's 2015 Budget Expands Rail Service

While many transit agencies around the country have increased fares in recent months to deal with budget deficits, Atlanta's MARTA has reported good financial news and has even proposed a 2015 budget that expands rail service.

June 6, 2014 - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Study Evaluates Protected Bike Lanes in the United States

The National Institute for Transportation and Communities released a new study this week called "Lessons from the Green Lanes: Evaluating Protected Bike Lanes in the U.S."

June 6, 2014 - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium

Meet Boston's New Tech-Enabled 'Pop-Up' Bus Service

A private bus service launched this week in Boston that decides service based on crowdsourced data on where and when people need to travel.

June 6, 2014 - New York Times

Bay Bridge Toll

Op-Ed: User Fees, Not General Funds, Should Fund Transportation

The Washington Post editorializes against the use of general funds to fill the Highway Trust Fund shortfall ($18 billion annually), whether they be dedicated funds or offsets, and evaluates proposals from President Barack Obama and House Republicans.

June 6, 2014 - The Washington Post - Opinions

Skateboarders

The New Transportation Mode of Choice for Urban Professionals: Skateboards

Although the skateboard's been around for a while, recent modifications to traditional designs are targeting skateboards for an older, wealthier demographic.

June 5, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

How to Build Grassroots Support for Urbanism

Andrew Keatts interviews Benjamin Ross, of Maryland's Purple Line advocacy fame, about what it takes to build local support for transit and urban design.

June 5, 2014 - Voice of San Diego

Could Viable Transportation Options End Drunk Driving?

A recent article by Sommer Mathis fills a void in supportive arguments for alternative forms of transportation: giving people more and better options not to drive, especially while drunk, is a massive public safety issue.

June 5, 2014 - CityLab

Google Self-Driving Car smaller

Did Google Find a Low-Speed Shortcut to Fully Automated Vehicles?

Google's bold new design for a self-driving car has no steering wheel or pedals. And it has a top speed of 40 km/h. Here is a look at Google’s plans and the role low-speed automated vehicles could play in urban transportation.

June 5, 2014 - Antonio Loro

MoveDC Long Range Transportation Plan Available for Public Comment

The Washington Post has a look at the initial draft of MoveDC, Washington D.C.'s Multimodal Long Range Transportation Plan, which will guide the city's transportation plans until 2040. The plan is available for public comment until July 6, 2014.

June 4, 2014 - The Washington Post

Collective Bike Rides Tell a New Story about Justice on the Streets

Stephen Snell explains how bike-riding collectives change the story about the use of public space.

June 4, 2014 - Fast Forward Weekly

Shared Street

More Cities Adopting 'Naked Streets'

In the second post in an ongoing "Shareable Cities" series, Mike Clay discusses "naked streets"—a democratizing, stripped-down street management concept that removes streetlights, crosswalks, and other signage.

June 4, 2014 - Woodhouse

Bike Lane Backlash in Atlanta

A recent local news report from Atlanta shows that a lot of citizens just aren't buying what planners and advocates are selling when it comes to complete streets.

June 4, 2014 - 11Alive

Vermont Makes Record Investment in Transportation Infrastructure

Governor Peter Shumlin approved the largest transportation bill in Vermont history earlier this week. So what does the money go to?

June 4, 2014 - Office of Governor Peter Shumlin

St. Louis Transportation Wish List: Bike Paths, Streetcars, Sidewalks

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay released a wish list of projects that could be funded by a proposed sales tax to fund transportation projects.

June 3, 2014 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Can Miami Change, or is Car Culture in its DNA?

Esteban Bovo, chair of the Miami-Dade County Finance Committee, recently provoked the ire of transit advocates when he said that car culture is in the DNA of Miami.

June 3, 2014 - Transit Miami

Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti Picks the First 15 'Great Streets'

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced $800,000 in funding for 15 "Great Streets" to be located around the city.

June 3, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Op-Ed: Time to End Reliance on Highway User Fees

It's time to fund federal transportation like most other nations do—rely less on highway user fees that dedicate funds to highways and transition to funding roads from the general fund, perhaps in the same amount that they contribute to GDP.

June 3, 2014 - The New York Times - Opinion

Long Commutes Pose Additional Risks for Students in New York City

A recent study shows significant variation in commute times for students depending on where they live in New York City. The concern with the findings is that longer commute times have greater impacts on students already facing other obstacles.

June 2, 2014 - Chalkbeat New York

Buy a Stamp—Patch a Highway?

This could have been our Friday Funny—but it's for real. House Republicans have suggested that reforming the United States Postal Service, such as ending Saturday delivery and other cost cutting could be used to shore-up the Highway Trust Fund

June 1, 2014 - Bloomberg News

Skateboarders

Ethiopian Youth Build Community Through Skateboarding

A sixteen-year old teaches skateboarding to low-income youth as a viable means of transportation and for community building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

May 31, 2014 - Sustainable Cities Collective

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.

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.