Transportation

New Study Ties Housing Affordability to Sustainability

Sarah Laskow reports on a new study by the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) that seeks to rethink how affordable housing is defined to incorporate transportation costs.

February 7, 2012 - Good

Waiting for the Subway

When compared to China's accomplishments in completing subway lines, North America's cities look exceedingly timid, where construction timeframes can stretch into decades. Will Doig examined why.

February 7, 2012 - Salon.com

A Federal Assault on Transit

At the Transport Politic, Yonah Freemark provides a comprehensive overview of the 'all-out ideaoligical battle' being waged by the House GOP against public transit.

February 6, 2012 - the transport politic

Urbanists, Council Revolt Over Toronto's Transit Plans

Upon becoming Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford killed existing public transit plans, declaring the "war on the car" over. Now a coalition of urbanists and a majority of city council members are turning against Ford's subway-only plan.

February 6, 2012 - The Globe and Mail

Why Your Cell Phone is the Most Promising Transportation Planning Tool

Emily Badger reports on the growing importance of the cellular phone, and particularly their location tracking capabilities, as the next most essential transportation planning tool.

February 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Think Environmental Rules Are Holding Up Transportation Projects? Think Again.

Brad Plumer investigates widely echoed Republican claims that environmental rules are a major reason why it takes so long to build highways and bridges, and finds scant evidence to back up the claims.

February 6, 2012 - The Washington Post

How Taxis Augment Public Transit

Urban Planning Professor David King has found that rather than working in competition, taxi cabs actually augment public transit networks.

February 5, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Bankruptcy Ahead, Warns CBO On Highway Trust Fund

Treasury Secretary Ray LaHood warned Congress that according to a recent Congressional Budget Office report, the Highway Trust Fund will be broke come fiscal year 2014, due largely to more fuel-efficient vehicles and less driving.

February 4, 2012 - The Hill's Transportation Blog

Who to Follow on Twitter for Your Transportation News Fix

Using a rather complex, scientific methodology, Robert Krueger, has compiled a list of the top 25 most influential transportation infrastructure sources to follow on Twitter.

February 3, 2012 - Urban Land

Successful DC Bikeshare Program Heading for the Suburbs

The runaway success of Washington D.C.'s bikeshare program, in less than two years of operation, has it poised to expand to the city's suburbs this year.

February 3, 2012 - The Washington Post

Mayor Outlines "Plan B" To Push Through Transit Improvements in L.A.

Deputy Mayor for Transportation Borja Leon provides insight into the Mayor's plans for ramping up implementation of Measure R funded projects if the Federal Government fails to back his America Fast Forward program.

February 2, 2012 - Streetsblog L.A.

Public Transit's Gender Imbalance

Gendered Innovations, a Stanford University project devoted to gender analysis, has revealed that miscategorization has obscured the fact that women ride public transit much more than previously believed, and much more than men.

February 2, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Fill Cars, Fight Traffic

According to the Ridesharing Institute, filling out cars with more passengers may be the cheapest, simplest way to ease congestion, reports Emily Badger. However novel strategies must be introduced to overcome the broad decline in carpooling.

February 2, 2012 - Miller McCune

House Transportation Bill: Can It Be Salvaged?

The long awaited Transportation bill unveiled this week by House Republicans, the “American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act,” follows an unsurprisingly partisan path to solving few of the country's transportation challenges.

February 2, 2012 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Reinventing Los Angeles: Seizing the Transit Opportunity

Ken Bernstein, Principal Planner for the City of L.A., explores how the expansion of transit in Los Angeles is changing how the department approaches its plans and the planning process.

February 1, 2012 - The Planning Report

The Economics of Traffic Jams

Writing in the Economix blog for the New York Times, Nancy Folbre investigates the economic impact of traffic and revives the idea of congestion pricing for Manhattan.

January 31, 2012 - The New York Times

Lessons From the World's Great Biking Cities

Christine Grant was fortunate enough to win a fellowship that allowed her to spend six months in the world's most bike-friendly cities. In this article she shares with us the 10 essential lessons she learned along the way.

January 31, 2012 - Grist

Mexican Bridge is an Experiment in Social Engineering

A new bridge completed this month is a key element in a $1.5 billion "superhighway" intended to bring economic development and the rule of law to a place now dominated by some of the country’s biggest illegal drug growers and gangsters.

January 31, 2012 - The Washington Post

On the Popularity of Biking and Walking in Rural America

A new report by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy titled "Active Transportation Beyond Urban Centers,” debunks the myth that "nobody walks" in rural America.

January 31, 2012 - Streetsblog D.C.

Has Gov. Jerry Brown Solved California's High Speed Rail Problems?

Governor Brown claims not only that the project will cost less than the $100 billion currently estimated by the state, but that he's found a funding source to help pay for it.

January 30, 2012 - The Sacramento Bee

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.

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.