Transportation

Planes that Run on Natural Gas

Qatar Airlines is gearing up their jets to run on a fuel derived from natural gas - so don't expect to see fuel tanks holding liquefied gas. Similar to the "Messerschmitt Fuel" in World War II that was derived from coal, they are called synfuels.

October 31, 2012 - The New York Times - Green Blog

Saving a Transit System Through Free Rides

Jean-Francois Mayet, the mayor of Châteauroux, introduced free ridership in a bid to turn around his town's failing transit system. Eleven years later, total ridership has increased 208 percent. Henry Grabar examines whether free transit is scalable.

October 31, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

The One Form of Public Transit That Sandy Didn't Shut Down

Though fewer in number, taxis had no competition with subways, buses, and commuter rail all shut down in advance of the Monday night storm. Matt Flegenheimer continues his update on how Hurricane Sandy affected pubic transit and roads in New York.

October 30, 2012 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Unprecedented Northeast Transit Shutdown as Sandy Approaches

Sommer Mathis writes about the largest planned shutdown ever of train and bus service in the U.S. as New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. cancel service on the eve of Hurricane Sandy's arrival along the mid-Atlantic seaboard.

October 29, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Who Will Pay for America's $2.2 Trillion Infrastructure Backlog?

With the federal government unable to agree on much of anything, state and local taxpayers are bearing the burden for repairing and replacing America's aging infrastructure says a new report from Standard & Poor’s Rating Services.

October 29, 2012 - The Washington Post

Visualizing the Connection Between Transportation and Public Health

An informative infographic produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation illustrates the role of walkable, bikeable, and transit-oriented communities in producing healthier populations.

October 28, 2012 - New Public Health

Bad Habits Are Hard to Break for US Metro Commuters

Despite significant investment in transit infrastructure, and renewed interest in downtowns and walkable neighborhoods, new data shows that gains in transit commute mode share have been hard to come by in America’s largest cities, says Kaid Benfield.

October 27, 2012 - Switchboard

In a Victory for People Over Cars, Indian Court Upholds BRT

In a landmark ruling issued last week, the Delhi High Court upheld the use of New Delhi's streets for a 5.6-kilometer bus rapid transit corridor, in a blow to auto owners seeking have it removed for use by all traffic, including private vehicles.

October 26, 2012 - The New York Times

LA Politicos Make Final Cases For and Against Extending Transportation Sales Tax

In 2008 Los Angeles voters passed a half-cent sales tax to finance construction of a new transit system. In November, Angelenos will decide whether to extend this tax to 2069, allowing Metro to borrow more in the short term and expedite construction.

October 26, 2012 - The Planning Report

Transit Improvements Boost Business in NYC

In addition to making the city's streets safer, the pedestrian plazas, bike lanes and rapid-transit bus system built in New York City over the past several years have been a boon to surrounding businesses finds a new report released this week.

October 25, 2012 - The New York Times

Guide to Building Better Streets Released

This week, NACTO released a preview of its Urban Street Design Guidebook, a document meant to assist local governments in designing their streets on the principle that they're spaces for people and commerce as well as arteries for traffic.

October 25, 2012 - Next American City

An 'Earth Friendly' Parking Garage in Chicago Begs the Question: What is 'Green'?

With wind turbines, a "daylighting" system, and charging stations for electric cars, Chicago's Greenway Self-Park bills itself as the city's first "earth friendly parking garage." John Greenfield asks, can a downtown garage truly be eco-friendly?

October 25, 2012 - Grid Chicago

Food Systems Planning: The Next Step in NYC's Public Health Crusade

Now that Mayor Bloomberg has had his say in what New Yorkers drink, Alan Brake argues it's time for the next mayor and his partner in Albany to focus on what they eat, by devising a plan to link New York's upstate farms with its downstate markets.

October 24, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Giving the Informal Economy a Voice in Planning Processes

In the first of a new series of articles tackling urban livelihoods, Caroline Skinner explains why the informal workforce matters, and offers six strategies for developing more inclusive urban planning processes.

October 24, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

7 Visions for the Accessible City of the Future

With the portion of American's living in cities set to rise to 90 percent by 2050, a new set of accessibility issues will confront the nation's disabled and aging. Metropolis invited 7 teams of designers to develop solutions to meet this challenge.

October 24, 2012 - Metropolis

Absent From Political Debate: Transportation Infrastructure

National Journal engaged several experts on the state of transportation infrastructure. Both Ken Orski and Rep. Earl Blumenhauer examine different aspects of the 'Infrastructure Deficit". What can we expect to see in the next four years?

October 24, 2012 - National Journal

Two Opinions on NYC's Proposed Subway Fare Increase

Editorializing on the expected fare increase for New York City's 8.5 million transit riders, the Times suggests ways to soften the blow. Writing in response, the president of the Citizens Budget Commission suggests looking toward motorists.

October 23, 2012 - The New York Times - Opinion

New Study Supports Advocates of Bike Infrastructure

Emily Badger discusses new research showing that dedicated bike infrastructure has a demonstrated impact on reducing the risk of injury for cyclists.

October 23, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

West Coast's Tallest Building Gets Approved

Last week the San Francisco Planning Commission gave final approval for the 1,070-foot Transbay Transit Center tower, reports Mike Billings.

October 22, 2012 - The San Francisco Examiner

Midwest Gets Taste Of High(er) Speed Rail

The speedometer on the Chicago to St. Louis train hit 110 mph - and stayed there for five minutes, but it was enough to elevate the spirits of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the other dignitaries on-board. Normal speeds top out at 79 mph.

October 22, 2012 - The Huffington 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.