Transportation
Cater to Commuters or Residents? Denver Rethinks its Rail Stops
Denver is confronting a dilemma facing many cities as they build out their transit systems: what types of uses should be developed in close proximity to stations, and who should these facilities serve.
HealthLine Pumps Life into Cleveland
Cleveland's bus rapid transit system, called the HealthLine, only opened in 2008, but it has already shown signs of "stimulating economic growth significantly" along Euclid Avenue.
To Fix Its Streets, China Turns to the Crowd
As China goes car crazy, a new crowdsourcing website seeks to address the needs of Beijing's lowly pedestrians and bicyclists, reports Nate Berg.
Syracuse: Tearing Down the Viaduct is No Easy Task
Continuing its 'Cities Project' and its focus on roads and motor vehicles, NPR goes to Syracuse, N.Y. to report on a 1.4 mile stretch of elevated Interstate 81 that runs through the heart of the city, and efforts to tear it down, maybe.
$7 Billion Transformation of D.C.'s Union Station Proposed
You read that right...$7 billion. In a plan to be unveiled today, Amtrak is proposing to transform the second-busiest Amtrak station in the country into a hub for high-speed rail and redevelopment, report Jonathan O'Connell and Ashley Halsey III.
CA Transit Agencies Shouldn't Count on High Speed Rail Funding
The $4.7 billion high speed rail bond appropriation, signed by Gov. Brown on July 18 included $2 billion for transit upgrades in the Bay Area and Southern CA. Max Taves reports that litigation in the Central Valley could target that funding.
New York Seeks to Revive its Freight Rail Industry
Winnie Hu reports on how the reopening of the 65th Street Rail Yard in Brooklyn last week is part of a wider, regional rail expansion effort that aims to revive the moribund industry in order to boost economic and environmental benefits.
Is a Slime Mold Competing for Your Job?
Transportation planners who thought the current job climate couldn't possibly get worse may want to ignore this piece. John Metcalfe reports on studies that show slime is just as effective in planning the path of an urban rail system as humans.
Will 'Downtown Crossing' Project Heal New Haven's Divide?
A target of 1950s urban renewal, New Haven is looking to rewrite renewal's wrongs by re-connecting the Hill neighborhood with downtown via a highway cap project. Critics complain the project doesn't go far enough to heal the area's historic wounds.
NPR Asks: "Is There A War On Cars?"
NPR interviews technology historian Peter Norton, D.C. Planning Director Harriet Tregoning, and motorists on D.C. streets who resent exclusive bus lanes, parking tickets, red light cameras, and parklets usurping parking spaces.
Virginia Debates How to Make Mapquest Recognize Its 'Burger King Bridge'
As Virginia drafts new rules to govern the sale of naming rights to its highways, interchanges, and bridges, public officials want to ensure that their new "marketing technology" provides more than just a sign on the road, reports Liz Essley.
Want to Encourage Bike Commuting? Supply a Shower
Eric Jaffe discusses the importance of providing showers and changing facilities at workplaces - the "hidden factor" in encouraging bike commuting - as revealed in the findings of a new study.
Is 'Higher-Speed Rail' Coming to a City Near You?
A recently released Amtrak plan doesn't envision high-speed rail servicing the Northeast Corridor until 2040. Paul Nussbaum looks at whether an incremental approach might bring increased speed and amenities to passengers sooner.
Tired of Being Bumped and Bruised, Bicyclists Fight Back, With Technology
Increasingly utilized as 'black boxes' in the aftermath of collisions with motorized vehicles, video cameras are the newest addition to the arsenal of tools being employed to make streets safer for bikes.
Bay Area to Study Regional VMT Fee
The Bay Area's two regional agencies approved funding a study to pursue a 9-county "vehicle-miles-traveled" fee of as much as 10-cents per mile that could involve GPS technology to fund regional transportation improvements.
Final CA HSR Package Buys Partners Throughout the State
Although the first segment of the state's recently approved high-speed rail line terminates in California's Central Valley, a significant portion of the initial funding will go to improving rail lines from San Diego to San Francisco.
Reclaiming San Francisco's Market Street for Public Space
Following precedents from other cities, San Francisco is looking to redesign its famous Market Street by removing automobiles, creating raised bike lanes, implementing faster transit, and making for a more inviting public space.
How NOT to Do Bus Rapid Transit
As Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) gains popularity, Annie Weinstock describes new standards for BRT, taking a lesson from some failing systems.
CA High Speed Rail Bill is Now Law
In signing ceremonies in both Los Angeles's Union Station and San Francisco's Transbay Terminal (under construction), Gov. Jerry Brown appropriated $4.7 billion in Prop. 1A, 2008 bond funds that will be matched with $3.2 billion in federal HSR funds.
Chicago Crowdsources a Superior Transit App
Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan discusses the launch of Designing Chicago, an "unusual" Kickstarter campaign intended to utilize the brains and wallets of the city's residents to create an app covering the city’s various systems of public transportation.
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