Transportation

Why Has It Taken 21 Years for D.C. to Build a Bike Path?

It's been 21 years (and counting) since D.C. developed plans to build the Metropolitan Branch Trail's eight mile northern segment. The delayed project threatens the city's goal of increasing the proportion of biking and walking trips to 25 percent.

December 20, 2013 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

Cincy Streetcar Saved

Facing a midnight deadline to resume the project or forfeit federal government funds, the Cincinnati City Council is supporting completing a new streetcar system after finding outside help to cover operating costs.

December 19, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Will the "Copenhagen Wheel" Revolutionize Cycling?

Developed by researchers at MIT in consultation with representatives from the Danish capital, the Copenhagen Wheel is a new technology that transforms your bike into a "smart electric-hybrid".

December 19, 2013 - posichange

Traffic Enforcement Technology Has Its Limits

For the second time in a year, Baltimore has pulled the plug on both its red-light and speed enforcement cameras, paying the contractor $600,000 to do so. Re-evaluation will determine where the city, which now owns most of the cameras, goes next.

December 19, 2013 - Governing

City Cycling: Another Way Men and Women Differ

Researchers from City University in London have analyzed the ways men and women use the city's bike share scheme differently. Transport for London will use this information to plan better outreach.

December 19, 2013 - Future Cities

Seven Items Top U.S. DOT's To-Do List for 2014

A new report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's lead watchdog outlines the top challenges the department faces in the coming year. Expanding oversight and improving air, rail and road safety top the list.

December 19, 2013 - Governing

Positive Reports on New Transit System Performance

Critics claim that public transit projects consistently exceed their budget projections and fail to meet ridership targets, based on old research. New analysis indicates that recent transit services generally perform better than predicted.

December 18, 2013 - Todd Litman

If You Want Accurate Traffic Projections, Don't Listen to DOTs

Analysis by the State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI) finds that the traffic projections used by state and local transportation agencies, which form the basis for spending priorities, are consistently higher than actual results.

December 18, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

New York's Streets Provide "Platform for Social Activism"

Justin Davidson ruminates on the great strides Janette Sadik-Khan and New York's Department of Transportation have made in reforming the city's streets. As much as they've accomplished, the transformation remains a work in progress.

December 18, 2013 - New York Magazine

Colosseo in Rome as seen from Via dei Fori Imperiali on a Sunday when traffic is cut off.

What Could Philadelphia Teach Rome About Reducing Traffic?

Rome's new mayor spent two decades in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and he's bringing lessons learned while living car-free in the United States to help solve Rome's traffic problems.

December 17, 2013 - philly.com

Lifestyle Solution Sought for Austin's Snarled Traffic

Austin has a giant traffic tangle on its hands. And because the city largely ignored the growing problem for years, transportation planning experts believe only drastic changes in behavior and lifestyle will ease the snarl.

December 17, 2013 - NPR

What Will Fuel Your Motor Vehicle in 10 Years?

Alternative fueled vehicles are increasing and will continue to gain in the next decade, according to a new report by the Fuels Institute, but light duty vehicles powered by gasoline will dominate. Diesel fuel will power 94% of heavier vehicles.

December 17, 2013 - Fuels Institute

Bikes Become Target of Conservatives' Vitriol

Is biking a partisan past time? If you listen to conservative leaders, you might think bikes were created as part of a liberal mission to spread socialism and curtail personal freedoms. Cycling is the unlikely new front in the culture wars.

December 16, 2013 - The Boston Globe

Expo Line LA Skyline

If You Build It, They Will Ride - Even in Car Crazy Los Angeles

A new study finds that within six months of opening, L.A.'s newest light rail line dramatically altered the travel behavior of those living within a half-mile of a station. Among those residents, rail ridership tripled and driving declined 40%.

December 16, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Investment in Infrastructure Leads to Jump in S.F. Cyclists

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's annual bike count reveals that cycling has increased 14 percent in the city since 2011 and 96 percent since 2006.

December 16, 2013 - SFGate

Arrival of D.C.'s First Streetcar is Cause for Civic Celebration

On a dark and cold December night, D.C. residents celebrated the delivery of a holiday gift a half-century in the making when a gleaming red streetcar was lowered into place along the city's new line for testing.

December 16, 2013 - The Washington Post

L.A. Union Station's Pilot Program Discriminates Against Subway Passengers

Los Angeles’s Union Station is trying something new to keep the homeless at bay: restricting waiting room seating to ticketed passengers.

December 15, 2013 - LA Streetsblog

Harvard Square

Census Data Shows Which Cities Encourage the Most Walking

Multiple metrics have been developed to measure which areas are the most friendly to pedestrians. But by looking at Census Data on commuting patterns, one can glean which city's residents are making the most of their "walkable" environs.

December 14, 2013 - Governing

You're Paying for Parking, Whether You Use It or Not

Think you’re not paying for parking because you opted out of renting a space in your apartment complex’s garage? Think again.

December 14, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Multiple Choice Referendum to Decide Vancouver's Transit Future

British Columbia will proceed with a public referendum on transit spending for the province. In an interesting wrinkle, Premier Christy Clark says the referendum will offer multiple choices. City leaders are concerned about the possible outcomes.

December 14, 2013 - The Globe and Mail

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.