Transportation
Transit-Oriented Tax Credits Nudge Company to Relocate
By relocating to a transit-adjacent building in New Jersey, electronics maker Panasonic has qualified for more than $100 million in tax credits from the state.
New Report: Measuring Pedestrian Safety in the U.S.
Transportation for America (TfA), a campaign to strengthen the nation’s transportation network, released an update to its “Dangerous by Design” report, an analysis of pedestrian safety in the design and use of American streets.
Johannesburg's BRT System Makes Good with Minibus Drivers
Minibus drivers in Johannesburg, South Africa, were not happy about plans to build a city-wide bus rapid transit system, worrying it would take their business away. After sometimes violent debates, the drivers have compromised with the city.
Maglev Approved for Tokyo-Osaka Line
After decades in development, Japan is ready to begin construction on their first commercial maglev train, which will eventually run between Tokyo and Osaka at speeds of up to 313 miles per hour.
How to Get People to Ride Transit
With car companies spending billions to promote their products, transit advocates have a lot to compete with. A new report from EMBARQ looks at how transit can rebrand and be sexy.
Why All the Fuss About Bikes?
Kasey Klimes says that the hype around bicycles isn't just sustainability, or health. It's that bicycles connect people to their neighborhoods and their communities in a more meaningful way.
TOD Grows Hesitantly Around New L.A. Station
L.A.'s newest light-rail station, at the current end-of-the-line off La Cienega, has attracted one new office building so far. The developer saw the future transit station as an amenity. Will others join him?
Fanciful Bike Storage Mounts on Tall Buildings
Design firm Manifesto Architecture is proposing a unique vertical bike storage system that can take advantage of underused, slim spaces like alleys. Another neat aspect: the rack is powered by a stationery bike.
New Study: Sprawl Is Bad for Marriage Sustainability
According to a recent study in Sweden, long distance commutes (characteristic of sprawling suburbs) put a major strain on personal relationships and increase the chances of marriage ending in divorce.
BRT Boom in U.S.
A new study says that Los Angeles, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Eugene and Pittsburgh are leading the surge with the best bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in the nation.
Britons are Driving Less
British cities report 9% fewer car trips per person and a 5% decline in distance traveled by car. That's because fewer young people are deciding to learn how to drive, says Prof. Phil Goodwin of the University of West of England.
D.C. Councilman Urges Higher Parking Permit Fees
Generally speaking, elected officials don't campaign for higher fees. However, in this op-ed, D.C. Councilman Tommy Wells draws a connections between higher residential parking fees, improved public transit, and better access to street paking.
The Bus and The Train Are Friends
Bus rapid transit has seen a recent spike in interest, and with that interest has come the analysis that BRT takes away from light rail projects and vice versa. But as this post points out, they need each other and work better when both are around.
Report Exposes Wisconsin Governor's "Highway Boondoggles"
Since rejecting $800 million in federal funds for HSR, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has proposed four new highway projects (estimated at a potential cost of $2 billion).
Light Rail Among Cuts in Proposed North Carolina Budget
A new budget proposal in North Carolina could pull all funding for a long-planned extension of Charlotte's light rail system.
Not a High Speed Train to Nowhere
California's high speed rail project has been criticized for starting its first section in the state's central valley and connecting to small towns. But this piece argues that's exactly the right way to do it.
Bikeable and Walkable, But Room to Improve
Seattle has been named one of the nation's safest p[laces to walk or bike. But some question whether that success will translate into any further improvements in bike and pedestrian infrastructure spending.
Locals Rally to Stop Highway Extension
A vocal and dedicated contingent of residents have successfully rallied to halt plans to expand a highway in metropolitan Vancouver.
Making Safer Streets for Aging Populations
As aging populations grow, more cities and design organizations are looking at how to make streets safer for older residents.
U.S. Builds Roads That Kill Pedestrians
A new report from Transportation for America says that more than half of pedestrian fatalities happen on arterial roads that lack ped-friendly design - and therefore are preventable.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello