Transportation
Removing a Vehicle Lane? It’s Not the End of the World
Most members of the public are still very skeptical that removing a vehicle lane won’t cause terrible congestion—especially on already busy streets. A recent articles details some of the counter arguments to those concerns.
Note to 'Best Workplace' List-Makers: The Commute Matters
Baltimore Magazine’s annual “Best Places to Work” list factors in in salaries, benefits, and workplace perks—but not commuting. In the Washington, DC metro area, that’s no small thing.
Bus Rapid Transit on Track in Albuquerque
Following three years of study, Albuquerque Mayor RJ Berry declared a “tipping point” in the city’s BRT plans. The city will require a federal matching grant to proceed.
Friday Fun: Build Your Own 'Mini Metro'
It's been available since September 2013, but news of the "Mini Metro' subway layout game recently hit the web. Finally, a test for all those armchair enthusiasts who think they can make the trains run on time.
MAP-21 Putting Pedestrian and Bike Programs on the Chopping Block
It took a few years, but funding changes as a result of MAP-21, the 2012 federal transportation bill, have started to impact funding for Metro “Call for Projects” grants in Los Angeles County.
On the Land Use and Transit Implications of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame'
The decision of where to locate ballparks, and to what extent the public should subsidize that location, can have ripple effects throughout the land use and transportation systems of a region.
Long Road Ahead for Las Vegas-Phoenix Interstate Connection
The planners of the 1950s didn’t foresee the growth of the Southwest’s two largest cities. Upgrading the freeway connection between the cities, however, remains a tough task.
Urban Planning Fundamental: Facilitate a Strong Labor Market
Wendell Cox reviews a new working paper by Alain Bertaud called “Cities as Labor Markets.” Cox calls the lesson contained therein “Urban Planning 101” and a “much needed midcourse correction to urban planning around the world.”
San Francisco Announces New Pedestrian Safety Program: WalkFirst
With its own “Vision Zero” goals in place to eliminate pedestrian fatalities within a decade, San Francisco has developed the WalkFirst plan to target the most dangerous intersections in the city for safety improvements.
A Call for 'Cooler' Buses
Edward Glaeser pens an opinion piece on the missing ingredient in the bus riding experience—cool. Not necessarily Mick Jagger cool, but definitely Steve Jobs cool.
Transportation Reauthorization Funding Mechanism May Be Settled
How best to "plug the growing hole" in the Highway Trust Fund which provides the federal revenue for roads and transit: increase the gas tax, new vehicle miles traveled fees, more road tolls, or "corporate tax reform"? All but one is a user fee.
The Organizations Behind the Growth of Biking in D.C.
Adrienne LaFrance surveys the bike scene in Washington D.C.—from co-ops to bikeshare programs to social groups.
How to Gain 21 Million Transit Trips a Year in Chicago?
At a recent hearing of the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force, experts like Peter Skosey made the case for the types of changes necessary to meet Chicago’s goals for increased transit ridership, focusing on transit oriented development.
Two Examinations of the Transit-User Experience
A pair of recent articles examine what it’s like to use public transit every day, year after year. One examines the mechanics of on-time delivery and service—the other, the unwritten rules of ridership.
Port of Albany is a Major Destination for North Dakota Oil
Crude-by-rail from the Bakken shale formation has transformed the sleepy Port of Albany, NY into a major supplier of cheaper crude for East Coast refineries. Jad Mouawad writes two articles on the importance of the port and the dangers from the oil.
High Speed Locomotive Contract for Five States Awarded to Siemans AG
A $226 million contract to build 32 higher speed diesel locomotives, capable of reaching 125 mph, was awarded to the team of the German conglomerate, Siemens AG and Indiana-based engine maker Cummins, Inc over Peoria, Ill. based Caterpillar, Inc.
Oil and Water: Connected Cars and Privacy
Jeremy Cato pens an editorial on the dark side of connected cars—the data necessary to track and integrate so many card will allow unprecedented invasions of privacy.
States Reinvest in Once-Abandoned Freight Lines
Take 260 trucks off the road for every train, avoid costs for maintaining highways maintenance cost, and create multiple other environmental and economic development advantages—states are reinvesting in their rail lines.
Post Peak Driving, America Needs a Road (Construction) Diet
Though it may be too soon to say for sure, it looks like the United States has reached peak driving. So shouldn’t we cut back on new road construction?
Seattle's Bell Street Park Is a Pedestrian Friendly Dream
The newly opened Bell Street Park in Seattle offers the kind of "social friction" Leigh Gallagher called for in Friday's NYT with "planters, perches ... and the simplest but most innovative feature of all, a level plane between sidewalk and street."
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
