Transportation

Los Angeles Considers How to Close its 'Missing Link'

Long Beach's Press Telegram explores the options for completing a 4.5-mile stretch of the Long Beach (710) Freeway connecting Alhambra to Pasadena, a controversy that's been brewing for five decades.

September 27, 2012 - Press-Telegram

Indonesia Drives Headlong into the Automobile Age

Consultant predicts a 275% increase in car ownership by 2025.

September 27, 2012 - The Jakarta Post

Taking Health into Account

Do you know the effect your spiffy new development will have on the neighbors' health? Aaron Wernham and the Kresge Foundation think you could use a health impact assessment.

September 27, 2012 - Shelterforce Magazine

Louisville Wrestles With Freeway Dilemma

Critic Michael Kimmelman, fresh back from Louisville's Idea Festival, questions why that quickly emerging city wants to double down on a new freeway expansion through its downtown while other progressive cities are tearing theirs down.

September 26, 2012 - New York Times

What's Driving the Rise in NYC Traffic Deaths?

Despite years of consistent decline, and a variety of efforts aimed at improving safety, traffic fatalities spiked by 23 percent last year in New York City. Matt Flegenheimer examines what may be causing the increase.

September 26, 2012 - The New York Times

Rail Debate: Should the Federal Government Invest in High Speed Rail?

Two transportation experts, Ken Orski, editor of Innovation Briefs and Joshua Schank, CEO of the Eno Center take opposing sides on whether it makes sense for the federal government to invest in high speed rail in this Wall Street Journal exclusive.

September 26, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal - Business

'Crosswalk Vigilantes' Beset Pittsburgh

Diana Nelson Jones describes how residents of "one of the most spirited do-it-yourself neighborhoods in the city" took it upon themselves to improve pedestrian safety.

September 26, 2012 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Taking Stock of California's Leadership in Integrated Regional Planning

A new report from the NRDC and Move LA documents the implementation of California's landmark SB 375, the nation’s first law to link transportation and land use planning with greenhouse gas emissions.

September 25, 2012 - Switchboard

Why Hailing a Taxi May Soon Be Ancient History

Ted Mann explores the new wave of mobile applications changing the way cabs and their customers interact, which could make the act of physically hailing a cab obsolete in as soon as five years.

September 25, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

How Infrastructure Investment Became Political Fodder

Andrea Bernstein traces how, in four short years, partisan politics have infected discussions about investment in infrastructure.

September 25, 2012 - Transportation Nation

Why All Cyclists Aren't Jerks

While Jim Saska admits that he's a jerk on his bicycle, he argues that the general perception among drivers that all cyclists are maniacs is not supported by statistics, and is instead a function of emotion [language warning].

September 25, 2012 - Slate.com

Reviews Are in for L.A.'s First Bike-Friendly Street

At under a mile, L.A.'s first official "bike-friendly street" isn't going to transform the commuting habits of many Angelenos. Nevertheless, as an example of the city's new attitude to bicycling, recent improvements to Yucca Street are worth noting.

September 24, 2012 - LA Weekly

CA High Speed Rail Receives More Good News from Feds

Two days after the CA High Speed Rail Authority received federal environmental streamlining of the 60-mile Merced to Fresno segment, the Federal Railroad Administration announced they will do the same for the 114-mile Fresno to Bakersfield segment.

September 24, 2012 - The Fresno Bee

How Zoning Might Make or Break New Streetcar Lines

As St. Louis and Portland speed along with new streetcar developments, Yonah Freemark considers how zoning may determine the success of one, and the failure of another.

September 23, 2012 - the transport politic

Will a New Rail Line Hurt or Help Crenshaw Boulevard?

In the latest entry in his "Boulevards" series, Christopher Hawthorne reports on the planned light rail line along Crenshaw Blvd in Los Angeles, and how it has caused a rift for some residents who are feeling left out of the revitalization process.

September 22, 2012 - The Los Angeles Times

Why Cuts to Federal Funding for Bike Infrastructure May Be a Good Thing

Despite the rise in bicycling in many U.S. cities, federal funds have shrunk in the recent transportation bill. However changes in the way funds are allocated allows for more local control, and cities are stepping up.

September 22, 2012 - Politco

Group Commuting Continues Upward Trend

New Census data out this week shows the share of Americans commuting by alternatives to the automobile continues to rise. In two-thirds of 342 metropolitan areas for which data was provided, public transit use was up, while solo driving dropped.

September 21, 2012 - USA Today

Feds to CA HSR Authority: Let The Track-Laying Begin!

The High Speed Rail Authority received a key approval from the Federal Railroad Administration to begin construction in California's Central Valley, specifically the 60-mile Merced to Fresno stretch. The remaining hurdles are several lawsuits.

September 21, 2012 - The Sacramento Bee

Open Transit Design: Why Stations Designed for Non-Transit Users Are Most Successful

How many people go to Grand Central Terminal just for the experience? Peter David Cavaluzzi, FAIA describes a new approach to transit station design that, in its desired appeal to non-transit users, is indebted to the great stations of the past.

September 20, 2012 - Peter David Cavaluzzi FAIA

NYC Traffic Safety Campaign Takes to the Feets

In an effort to make the city's streets safer for the legions of distracted pedestrians gazing downwards at guidebooks and phone screens, NYC is taking a page from its compatriots in London and installing exhortations to “LOOK!” in its crosswalks.

September 20, 2012 - The New York Times

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.

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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.