Transportation

SF Subway Work Begins, Despite Uncertain Funding and Local Opposition

With construction beginning, Michael Cabanatuan reports on the unresolved problems dogging San Francisco's $1.6 billion Central Subway project.

July 19, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

Copenhagen Shames Aspiring Bike Cities, Again, With Opening of Superhighway

From Portland to Minneapolis, cities across the America have been trying to catch up to Copenhagen's world-renowned bicycling infrastructure. With the recent opening of a bike superhighway, the Danish capital is leaving other cities in the dust.

July 19, 2012 - The New York Times

Once Centers of Civic Pride, Transit Hubs Become Destinations Again

When the railroad was the primary means of interstate travel, America's cities relied on their train stations to provide grand first impressions to travelers. As transit ridership soars, a bevy of new stations are being designed as civic centerpieces

July 18, 2012 - Salon

The Benefits of Mass Transit, in one Incredible Infographic

Kaid Benfield directs our attention to "a terrific, poster-sized graphic highlighting the benefits of public transportation" that was created by an unlikely source - a credit card comparison website.

July 18, 2012 - Switchboard

New Books Rhapsodize About Public Transit

The romance of cars has been long documented, but public transit is finally getting in on the act. 'Human Transit' provides a lucid primer for stakeholders and armchair planners alike, while 'Straphanger' takes readers on a world tour.

July 18, 2012 - California Planning & Development Report

U.S. Moving Toward Public Transportation

Taras Grescoe examines how public transportation in the United States is gaining popularity and riders, but still lags in funding.

July 17, 2012 - The Huffington Post

The World's Coolest Bus Stops

From shelters integrating public art to fully enclosed and air conditioned refuges, Scott Gutierrez shares his picks of the coolest bus stops from around Seattle, and around the world.

July 16, 2012 - SeattlePI

Historic Rail Investment Announced in UK

A $14.6 billion package of rail improvement projects, called the "biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian era," has been announced by the UK's governing coalition.

July 16, 2012 - BBC News

Amtrak's $151 Billion High Speed Rail Plan

With the CA state Senate's appropriation of $8 billion toward their $68 billion high speed rail plan, the spotlight turns to the other coast - the Northeast Corridor, with Amtrak's unveiling its updated, $151 billion plan. Both run 220 mph trains.

July 15, 2012 - Reuters via Chicago Tribune

Is America's Oil Capital Going Green?

The Economist takes notice of Houston's efforts to create a more sustainable and attractive city, a not uncomplicated task in the capital of America's energy industry.

July 15, 2012 - The Economist

Would Eliminating Road Subsidies Encourage Transit Use?

Not only are transit systems subsidized, but so are America's roads. While some advocate for the reduction of road subsidies to better incentivize transit use, Josh Barro argues for more effective ways to make mass transit work better.

July 15, 2012 - City Journal

Can Boston Become a Bicycling Mecca?

Efforts to expand bicycle-friendly infrastructure across the country have revealed the importance of comprehensive planning. Peter DeMarco reports on ways in which planners in the Boston area are trying to fill in the gaps in their emerging network.

July 14, 2012 - Boston.com

What Does the Built Environment Mean to the Well-Being of a City?

Michael Kimmelman reports on the strong ties that exist between the economic and social well-being of a city and its architecture, infrastructure and public spaces, as evinced in Bogotá, Colombia.

July 14, 2012 - The New York Times

Legal Obstacles For CA's HSR Clear Up....Slightly

With $8 billion almost in hand (the $4.5 billion in state bonds still need to be sold), the most formidable immediate hurdles are dealing with five lawsuits facing the High Speed Rail Authority. Mike Rosenberg reports that progress has been made.

July 14, 2012 - San Jose Mercury News

Is Thomas Jefferson to Blame for Los Angeles's Sprawl?

Jeremy Rosenberg examines why Thomas Jefferson may have had more of an impact on the development of Los Angeles than you might suspect. The city's street grid can be traced back to this American founding father.

July 13, 2012 - KCET

Slow Progress on America's High-Speed Rail Efforts

Milton Lindsay examines America's efforts to build a national system of high-speed trains and finds mixed results in the nation's eleven intended corridors.

July 13, 2012 - Next American City

Adaptive Reuse Coming to Struggling Airports

As airlines cut service to small and mid-sized cities, once bustling airports now find whole terminals vacated, and are looking to find new revenue models for the vacated space, reports Jane L. Levere.

July 12, 2012 - The New York Times

Boston's Big Dig Buries Other Transportation Projects

Completed years ago, the true cost of Boston's "Big Dig" is finally being tallied. Unfortunately, for residents of Massachusetts, the tab is far from paid, imperiling funding for other necessary transportation projects, reports Eric Moskowitz.

July 12, 2012 - Boston.com

The Best Odes to the Subway

Does riding the subway make you want to burst out into song? For the performers of the 10 ballads deemed by Eric Jaffe to be the best songs about the subway, there may be no greater muse.

July 12, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Bridging the Gap: Freeway Caps Proposed in Smaller Cities

As plans progress in many large cities to cap their below-grade urban freeways, smaller cities, like Ventura, California, are looking to benefit from similar proposals.

July 12, 2012 - Ventura County Star

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.

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