Transportation

Children of the Past Envision the City of Tomorrow

How did childhood visions of future cities differ for kids growing up in the 1980s when compared to the 1960s or today? Matt Novak shares a short film from 1983 that captures the prescient urban visions of students.

April 24, 2013 - Smithsonian

Ciclavia

L.A. Opens its Streets and Residents Take Advantage

Sunday saw the sixth incarnation of L.A.'s popular CicLAvia event, which closes long stretches of city streets to automobile traffic, and opens them to bikes and pedestrians. The latest route, from downtown to the sea, attracted 150,000 people.

April 23, 2013 - The Los Angeles Times

2013: A Banner Year for Bike Share

No less than eighteen U.S. cities are expected to launch bike-share systems this year, a fifty percent increase over the number currently in operation. An infographic from bike sharing consultancy BikeShare.com details the new programs.

April 23, 2013 - BikeShare.com

World Bank: Carbon Pricing Key to Tackling Climate Change and Poverty

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim explains why climate change is a poverty issue - and why we must tackle it today to ensure that carbon emissions do not continue rising after 2016. Establishing a world price on carbon will be difficult to achieve.

April 23, 2013 - PBS NewsHour - The Rundown

Teenagers Subway

Young Americans Drive Historic Decline in Auto Usage

Brad Plumer looks at the latest data on Americans' driving habits, which shows that vehicle miles driven have fallen an astonishing 8.75 percent since June 2005. Despite the end of the recession, driving rates continue their downward trend. But why?

April 22, 2013 - The Washington Post

Lawsuit Settled, CA HSR Authority Ready to Purchase Property

A major environmental lawsuit against the High Speed Rail Authority brought by Central Valley farmers and other parties was settled on April 18, clearing the way for initial construction to begin on the 30 mile corridor between Madera and Fresno.

April 22, 2013 - KQED

Can Transit and Smart Planning Transform Colorado's Poorest Neighborhood?

With a new area plan oriented around the arrival of Denver's West Light Rail line, planners are hoping to spur a transformation of the city's Sun Valley neighborhood. Can the area diversify without displacing existing residents?

April 22, 2013 - The Denver Post

Vietnam Tries to Head Off Rising Car Culture by Building Transit

Lien Hoang looks at efforts by Vietnam's government to get ahead of rising living standards, and the auto congestion that often accompanies, by building modern transit systems in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

April 21, 2013 - The New York Times

Zappos Founder Extends Las Vegas Transformation to Transportation

Not content to simply transform downtown Las Vegas's built landscape and work culture, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has set his sights on evolving the area's transportation infrastructure. At the heart of his plan sits 100 Tesla S sedans.

April 20, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

CA High-Speed Rail Builder Selected: Will Low Cost Equal Low Quality?

The builder of the first phase of California's high-speed rail project has been selected after a competitive bid process. The winning team had the lowest bid, but also the lowest technical score.

April 20, 2013 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

America's Campuses Foment Transportation Revolution

Angie Schmitt looks at how America's institutions of higher learning are embracing progressive transportation demand management strategies to cut costs, expand their footprints, and encourage healthier lifestyles.

April 19, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Atlanta Sets its Sights on Biking Boost

With a burgeoning bike culture that saw the fastest rise in bike commuting in America from 2000-2009, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has recognized the potential in this grassroots growth by announcing the goal of being a top-ten cycling city by 2016.

April 19, 2013 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

Copenhagen Zeroes In on Carbon-Neutral Goal

Justin Gerdes discusses the variety of tactics the city of Copenhagen is utilizing in its march to become the world's first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.

April 18, 2013 - The Guardian

Activist Cyclist Peddles Women's Rights in Afghanistan

Jed Lipinski profiles Shannon Galpin, avid cyclist and founder of a nonprofit organization to aid women in conflict zones, who is hoping to improve women's rights in Afghanistan by supporting its fledgling bicycle culture.

April 18, 2013 - The New York Times

Gas Tax or VMT Fee? Experts Debate How to Fund Transportation

In this special "Energy: Squaring Off" section, experts take opposing sides on six energy issues - the first being how best to pay for transportation. Carl Davis of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy vs. Robert Poole of Reason Foundation.

April 17, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Broken Bus

Are Corporations Imperiling America's Public Transportation Systems?

Chris Hedges warns that corporate consolidation of public transportation is leading to increasingly dangerous conditions for both drivers and passengers, especially in intercity bus systems.

April 17, 2013 - AlterNet

New York Gets to Know its Subway Riders...Intimately

Anyone who's ridden the New York City subway will inevitably pick up on the odd social patterns that develop in the slim tube hurtling beneath the city. A new study identifies and quantifies those unique behaviors.

April 17, 2013 - The New York Times

Transportation Budget: "Where's The Beef, Mr. President?"

Kathryn W. Wolfe takes President Obama to task on his fiscal 2014, $77 billion transportation budget - not in where the money goes but where it comes from. How often can the 'peace dividend' be justifiably used as a funding source?

April 16, 2013 - Politico

Minnesota Governor Backs Off Raising State Gas Tax

MN Gov. Mark Dayton, fearing that a statewide gas tax increase lacks popular support, will not back the legislature's proposal to raise it, but has affirmed his support for a regional general sales tax for transit. But it may not be that easy.

April 15, 2013 - StarTribune (Minneapolis)

California Governor Travels Far and Wide in Search of Bullet Train Investors

Although it was initiated long before his current term in office, Governor Jerry Brown has hitched his legacy to moving along California's high-speed rail project. He recently ventured to China in search of funding.

April 13, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

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.

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