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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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%.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pagination
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello