Transportation

The Top 20 Urban Planning Successes of All Time

An interesting post appeared on the Public Servant Blog a few days ago. The list includes Amsterdam, Eugene, Oregon; Ponce Center City, Puerto Rico; and the city of Philadelphia among others.

August 16, 2010 - Public Servant Blog

Is the Magic Word "Density", or "Location"?

Looking back at research from 1977, The Overhead Wire decides that maybe there is an overemphasis on residential density increasing transit ridership, when the greatest impact comes from location.

August 16, 2010 - The Overhead Wire

Residents Who Live Near Public Transportation Live Healthier, Longer Lives

Study indicates that public transit improvements and more transit oriented development can provide large but often overlooked health benefits.

August 15, 2010 - APTA

Synchronized Driving

University of Missouri-Kansas City researchers are making headway on "self-synchronizing moving objects" -- that is, getting cars to communicate with each other on highways so they can travel at faster speeds without accidents.

August 14, 2010 - The Kansas City Star

Congestion Pricing, Carpool Charging And Driver Behavior

KALW's transportation reporter takes a ride across the Bay Bridge during the peak period to experience the new travel patterns brought on by the Bay Area's first experience with congestion pricing - she interviews a UC specialist in human behavior.

August 14, 2010 - KALW News via SF Gate

What Cities Can Do to Encourage Electric Cars

Maury Blackman of Accela writes that local governments will have a significant effect on whether electric cars take off or not, because they will be approving and building the necessary infrastructure.

August 14, 2010 - Accela Corporate blog

Bar Cars May Be Back

As reported earlier this year on Planetizen, the bar cars on Metro-North Railroad's Connecticut trains: train cars were hitting retirement age, and it looked like no replacements were coming for the pubs on wheels. But wait- there's hope yet!

August 14, 2010 - The Wall St. Journal

Seattle Considers Transportation Tax District

Seattle has a long list of transportation projects on the drawing boards, but little money to bring them into reality. So local officials are considering a plan to create transportation taxing districts to help fund the projects.

August 14, 2010 - The Seattle Times

Bay Area High Speed Rail Debate: City Vs. Suburb?

The San Francisco Peninsula stretch of the LA-SF high speed rail line appears to be stirring up as a classic debate between suburban San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

August 13, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle - Business Report

Vancouver Businesses Opposing Bike Lane

Officials are planning to install a second major separated bike lane in downtown Vancouver. Local business owners are trying to stop them.

August 13, 2010 - The Vancouver Sun

Cyclists Are Car-Owners, Too

A new study suggests that the people who cycle the most are likely to own at least two cars.

August 13, 2010 - The Guardian

Anti-Bike Rage Boiling Over in Charlotte

After publishing two articles calling for Charlotte-area drivers to be more considerate of bicyclists, the comments on the online version were so numerous and hateful that the paper closed them down.

August 12, 2010 - The Charlotte Observer

Berkeley's BART Tunnel Should Be Model For Peninsula Rail Opponents

San Mateo County, hotbed of opposition to high speed rail, including numerous lawsuits, might be better served by following the 1960s Berkeley example in passing a bond to tunnel the train through the impacted cities, suggests local editor.

August 12, 2010 - San Mateo Daily Journal

After Years of Delays, San Francisco's Bike Plan Hits the Street

Delayed from implementation for four years, San Francisco's bicycle plan has been legally ruled into action. The first lanes are being painted.

August 12, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

'Density Lobby' Helps Rail Kill Bus

Investments in rail systems in cities across America are pulling crucial funding away from better-used bus systems, according to this column from Joel Kotkin. He blames the "density lobby".

August 12, 2010 - Forbes

"Circle Less. Live More": Words To Park By

Explaining the mechanics of market-based parking can be pretty dry, if not outright wonkish. SF Park livens up the topic with (bike) bells, horns and cute, animated graphics in a new video.

August 11, 2010 - SF Streetsblog

More Cyclists Means Safer Streets

Studies show that traffic-calming measures and bike lanes increase the number of cyclists on the street and decrease the risk of collisions.

August 11, 2010 - Montreal Gazette

NYC's Transit Funding Crisis

New York City's transit system is suffering from a serious lack of funding. Reporter Jake Mooney looks at the reasons, including a lack of tax income from real estate and a political unwillingness to change how MTA is funded.

August 10, 2010 - City Limits

Cycling in Toronto Leaves Much to Be Desired

Toronto Star architecture critic Christopher Hume blasts the city's lackluster bicycle planning efforts, calling them disjointed.

August 10, 2010 - The Toronto Star

Adam Smith's Economic Principles Reduce San Francisco Parking Congestion

After years of preparation, San Francisco has implemented a new system that will adjust the price of parking spots according to supply and demand.

August 9, 2010 - Good

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

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.