Transportation
10 Signs L.A. is on the Right Track with its Transit Transition
From plans to maximize development opportunities around bustling Union Station to newly operating congestion pricing schemes and rail lines that have shattered ridership expectations, Los Angeles is making progress towards a transit-rich future.
Obama Pushes to Fund Advanced Autos with Fossil Fuel Revenues
At a visit to the Argonne National Laboratory today, President Obama was expected to unveil his plan to spend $2 billion in oil and gas revenues "to find ways to replace hydrocarbons as the primary fuel for the nation’s cars, trucks and buses."
Bike-Share Spreads Across Sprawling Midwest
Bike-share is continuing its march towards world domination, with seemingly every large Midwestern American city now jumping on the bike lending bandwagon, reports Angie Schmitt.
Are Cars Destined to Share the Fate of the Steamship and the Landline?
We're likely witnessing the beginning of the slow decline of a technology that's defined our transportation and land use policies for a century - the private car. Emily Badger explains how unnoticed events produce socio-technical transitions.
Driven into Poverty: Walkable Urbanism and the Suburbanization of Poverty
David Moser pens a compelling essay that examines the ways in which sprawling auto-dependent land use patterns exacerbate poverty. As more low-income individuals and families are pushed to the suburbs, "this problem is gaining urgency."
Can Rail Fill the Gap if Keystone XL Isn't Approved?
"Yes it can", at least to some extent appears to be the answer according to the WSJ. While the Keystone XL pipeline can move 830,000 barrels of oil a day, rail shipments are set to double this year to 200,000 barrels. Not so, according to the NRDC.
Mapping the Global Growth of Bike-Share
An interactive map from the bike-sharing consultancy Metrobike plots the world's active, proposed, and failed bike-sharing services. Willie Osterweil draws some interesting lessons from the data.
NYC's Mayoral Candidates Offer Uninspiring Outlook on Transit
With the MTA comprising a significant portion of the city's workforce and viability, NYC mayoral candidates remain reluctant to commit to invest in the transit authority. Their comments at a recent transit forum disappointed advocates.
Tallahassee Engineers Surprising Transit Turnaround
Under the cover of darkness two years ago, Tallahassee's StarMetro completely overhauled its entire bus system, replacing its out of date hub-and-spoke model with a grid-like system over one evening. This year, the system was honored by the APA.
U.S. Experiences Second-Highest Transit Ridership Since 1957
According to a new report, U.S. transit ridership increased to 10.5 billion rides in 2012 - a 1.5% increase over 2011, despite transit shutdowns and reductions caused by Superstorm Sandy. High gas prices, and their volatility, was a major cause.
Should the Feds Fund Transportation Projects?
The impending bankruptcy of the Highway Trust Fund a lack of clear purpose for national transport investment has Eric Jaffe asking if, after 120 years, we might be witnessing the end of federal transportation funding as we know it.
Cleveland's Public Space Revolution
With new bike paths, regional trails, and renovated parks, Cleveland is catering to bikes and pedestrians, says Steven Litt. He explains how this "car town" is "undergoing a revolution in attitudes toward public space, city streets and walkability."
Walkable Streets: Considering Common Issues
Generalist Geoff Dyer delivers his walkability design tactics magnum opus on PlaceShakers. His years of practical experience are conveniently condensed for your consumption.
Biking Craze: Revolution or Fad?
In the 1960s and 70s, America witnessed a bike boom that sounds very similar to today's. Although it petered out, Tom Payne argues why contemporary circumstances have altered the long-term viability of a bicycling revolution.
Are New York's Streets Safe for Pedestrians?
A spate of high profile pedestrian deaths have New Yorkers wondering just how safe it is to traverse their city on foot.
Transforming a Train Station on the Cheap
For only $155,000 a light sculpture has helped transform Stamford, Conn.'s unloved train station - “a building that has a harshness almost unequaled in contemporary architecture” - into a pulsating beacon "reminiscent of a Mondrian" painting.
Should D.C. Leave Parking to Developers?
AAA has been outspoken in their opposition to the parking reforms being debated in Washington D.C. For Matthew Iglesias, parking is a "privilege," not a right.
Can a 'Poster Child for Sprawl' Turn Itself Around?
In a video documentary, Matthew Gordon examines the elements of Fresno's General Plan update, which seeks to reorient the city around a more sustainable urban form, and turn around the fortunes of one of the country's most impoverished cities.
The Do's and Don'ts of Urban Cycling
Taking the important first step in becoming an urban cyclist is often the most daunting. But with some pieces of advice and knowledge, anyone can become a confident urban cyclist.
Hollande Embraces Greater Paris Plan
To the surprise of many, a change in governments has failed to derail former president Nicolas Sarkozy's ambitious "Greater Paris" plan for an expanded transit network linking the French capital to its suburbs.
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
