Transportation

FAA Impasse Is Omen For Rural America

Four thousand FAA workers furloughed and 70,000 contractors were laid off as a result of a congressional disagreement on subsidies to rural airports and a labor provision.

August 10, 2011 - Los Angeles Times - Opinion

Bringing New Life to Urban Rail Lines

Cities across the country are breathing new life into abandoned and disused inner city rail lines.

August 9, 2011 - The New York Times

Pedestrians' Dangerous Walk in Mumbai

The doubling of car traffic in the past 20 years in Mumbai has created a transit culture that has become dangerous for pedestrians. More than 44 percent of Mumbai citizens walk to work, and 78 percent road fatalities are pedestrians, a study finds.

August 9, 2011 - The Times Of India

Suburbs Clamor for Light Rail

Detroit's Oakland County suburbs are pushing to extend a light rail extension into their neighborhoods with such fervor that they may accomplish what the political system couldn't, says reporter Matt Helms.

August 8, 2011 - The Detroit Free Press

From One Crisis to the Next: Congress Must Pass a Transportation Bill for All Users

The U.S. is going from one financial crisis directly into another, as SAFETEA-LU, the omnibus transportation bill, expires next month, writes Roxanne Blackwell of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

August 8, 2011 - Roxanne Blackwell

Linking American Individualism to Transportation Planning

Author Russell Shorto claims that "the willingness of Europeans to follow top-down social planning" makes public transit and bicycling more feasible in European cities than they are in the States where people don't always agree with technocrats.

August 8, 2011 - The New York Times

No New Taxes = No Renewed Federal Gas Tax?

Matthew Yglesias writes on the upcoming expiration of the federal gas tax as the next political hurdle facing a divided Congress that has enormous infrastructure and budget deficit implications. The Republican 'no new taxes' pledge may apply.

August 7, 2011 - Think Progress

Transit Project Brought in Under Budget

Not only is the Utah Transit Authority debuting two new light rail lines at the same time, they were brought in 20% under budget.

August 6, 2011 - The Source

L.A. Mayor Pushes Bus-Only Lanes

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has announced plans to implement more bus-only lanes throughout the city.

August 6, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Sure These Cars Can Talk, But Do They Listen?

Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) announces the winners of the Connected Vehicle Challenge that asked people to submit ideas, using the Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) technology to its full potential.

August 6, 2011 - Transportation Nation

Making Bicycle Ambassador A Real Job

Matt Seaton argues that "after significant investment in cycling infrastructure, biking needs better PR." Would a bike ambassador make the difference?

August 6, 2011 - The Guardian

Parking Location Makes All the Difference

The location of parked cars can either destroy walkability or enhance it, writes urbanist Steve Mouzon.

August 5, 2011 - The Original Green Blog

Putting Alternative Fuel Stations on the Map

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy released an interactive map displaying thousands of alternative fuel stations around the nation.

August 5, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

New MIT Data Analysis Tool Aims To Rationalize Planning

Andres Sevstuk, lecturer at MIT and head of the City Form Research Group describes how the new Urban Network Analysis Toolbox is, "taking a much more rigorous approach to look at the work of urban design."

August 4, 2011 - The Boston Globe

New Transit Lines Open Early, Under Budget

New TRAX light rail lines in Salt Lake City opened a year early and 20% under budget.

August 4, 2011 - The Salt Lake Tribune

On Spending for High Speed Rail

This post from The Infrastructurist looks at recent arguments for and against high speed rail projects in the U.S. through the lens of spending.

August 4, 2011 - Infrastructurist

Why Did the U.S. Allow Its Cities to Decline?

Frank Gruber asks, "why, not how." Many of the explanations for decline are clear; why it was allowed to happen, less so. Gruber highlights "suspects" of what might have led to cities' destruction.

August 3, 2011 - The Huffington Post

Transportation Debate Awaits Congress Next

A post at ASLA's The Dirt predicts that the next "crisis" to be debated in Congress will be that of the need for a comprehensive transportation bill to repair this country's "vulnerable infrastructure."

August 3, 2011 - THE DIRT

Going in the Out Door

Want to speed up your transit? Follow San Francisco's lead and let your passengers enter any door they please, says Yonah Freemark. A pilot program on the J-Church line is testing out the idea.

August 3, 2011 - the transport politic

Vilnius Mayor Crushes Parking Violators With Tank

Arturas Zuokas, mayor of the Lithuanian capital, has taken enforcement of cars parked illegally in cycle lanes into his own hands. In a YouTube video, Zuokas is shown riding on top of a tank as it crushes a car parked illegally in a cycle lane.

August 2, 2011 - Guardian

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.