Transportation

Interest in City-Center Living a Key to Integrating Cape Town

Twenty years after the end of apartheid in South Africa, Cape Town is preparing to become World Design Capital. Zoe Dare Hall looks at the coastal city's burgeoning real estate market, which reflects two decades of integrative planning.

April 8, 2013 - Financial Times

San Diego Rail

San Diego's Omission from High-Speed Rail: Customary Curse or Blessing in Disguise?

Is California's High-Speed Rail (HSR) a "boondoggle" for the state, as its critics assert, or just a boondoggle for omitted cities? How should such cities deal with omission from HSR? San Diego is a case in point.

April 7, 2013 - UrbDeZine.com

Cars are the Cholesterol of Buenos Aires’ Veins

The problem of increasing congestion is plaguing the development of the city of Buenos Aires, not to mention the deleterious effects on residents' quality of life.

April 7, 2013 - Global Site Plans - The Grid

Illicit Intervention Creates Protected Bike Lane in Seattle

In what is certainly one of the most polite forms of civil disobedience we've ever encountered, a small group of guerrilla urbanists installed bike lane protectors along a Seattle street one recent night. They kindly made them easy to remove.

April 7, 2013 - Seattle Bike Blog

Arkansas Oil Pipeline Spill: A Warm-Up for Keystone XL?

The NewsHour's Judy Woodruff asks pointed questions to Anthony Swift, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Andy Black, president of the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, about the latest spill involving oil sands crude. The two agree on little.

April 6, 2013 - PBS NewsHour

In Rethinking Shared Spaces, Sidewalks Take Center Stage

Joe Nickol pens a paean to the often overlooked sidewalk: "our neighborhood's breadwinner, bringing vitality, safety, and economy."

April 6, 2013 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Ocean Grove Sidewalk

The Case for Age-Friendly Suburbs

Several trends are conspiring to challenge America's ability to house and care for its senior citizens. Utilizing successful examples, architect and planner Eric C.Y. Fang examines how the suburbs can be adapted to support an aging population.

April 5, 2013 - Eric C.Y. Fang

Bicyclists in Minneapolis Come Under Attack

John Metcalfe looks at the frightening incidents of violence being directed at bicyclists using Minneapolis' popular Midtown Greenway.

April 5, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Looking for Lessons in China's Growing Air Infrastructure

Unbounded by budgetary concerns, lengthy approvals processes, or NIMBY neighbors, China is building 100 new airports over the next two years. Does their process offer any lessons for how to fix America's crumbling air infrastructure?

April 5, 2013 - The New York Times

The Big Move: Will Toronto Seize its Future by Funding an Ambitious Transit Plan?

As the city's controversial mayor snickers at proposals for new funding sources for transit, Toronto is missing out on another opportunity to build a big-city mass transit system, says Marcus Gee. How much will it cost the city in the long run?

April 5, 2013 - The Globe and Mail

Is Indexing the Key to Fixing the Federal Gas Tax?

It's not too early to think about "fixing the Highway Trust Fund", a prerequisite to renewing MAP-21 transportation legislation that expires Sept. 30, 2014. Rep. Peter DeFazio may have the fix in the form of an indexed gas tax - but which index?

April 4, 2013 - American Society Of Civil Engineers

Supposed Safe Havens Pose Danger to Pedestrians in NYC

A new study conducted by NYU's Langone Medical Center reveals that pedestrians are most often struck by cars in New York's supposed safe havens: in a crosswalk with the signal on their side. Findings related to bicycle safety were also revealed.

April 4, 2013 - The New York Times

What Killed L.A.'s Streetcars?

Local lore, and Hollywood movies, have it that a conspiracy by car companies led to the dismantling of L.A.'s sprawling streetcar system to induce dependence on newly built freeways. Eric Molinsky tells the real, but no less dramatic, story.

April 3, 2013 - 99% Invisible

Could Colored Pavement Cool Our Cities?

More than a third of the land in our cities is covered by black asphalt, an exemplary heat trapping surface and major contributor to the urban heat island effect. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Lab are studying "cool pavement" alternatives.

April 3, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Feds Sketch Their Vision for D.C. to Boston High-Speed Rail

A new report released by the Federal Railroad Administration outlines more than a dozen alternatives for upgrading passenger rail service throughout the Northeast Corridor, including what high-speed rail between D.C. and Boston could look like.

April 3, 2013 - Transportation Nation

Cracking Beneath the Surface: America's Invisibly Eroding Roadways

In need of an underground overhaul, the Capital Beltway exemplifies the deteriorating conditions of 1/3 of the nation's roadways.

April 3, 2013 - The Washington Post

Shared Space Brings Shared Bonhomie to U.K. Village Center

The U.K. village of Poynton recently removed the traffic lights, signs, lanes, and even curbs from its center. The result? Rather than chaos, a film claims the project has helped revitalize the town's traditional center.

April 3, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Stop the Madness: New Thinking Needed for Prioritizing Transportation Projects

For architecture critic Inga Saffron, a $900 million project to improve a South Jersey interchange illustrates the madness of transportation funding priorities.

April 3, 2013 - philly.com

Los Angeles Smog Skyline Zoom

Inspiring Ideas for Solving L.A.'s Biggest Challenges

With 279 submissions received, the pubic voting period has begun for determining who will receive the $1,000,000 in grants being awarded to improve the quality of life in Los Angeles along eight key indicators.

April 2, 2013 - Good

A Contrarian View on New York's Penn Station

When it comes to New York's two rail stations, there's the iconic Grand Central Terminal that just celebrated its centennial, and then there's Penn Station - which all mourn because the original was razed in 1963 - except the NY Post's Bob McManus.

April 2, 2013 - New York Post

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.