Transportation
Urban Mobility, 2025
This post from This Big City looks at how transportation needs to evolve, and some of the ways it could in the near future.
The Case for Roundabouts
While some Americans find them confusing, traffic roundabouts are good for the environment and cut down on time spent in traffic, say transportation planners.
Megabus Makes Money
A private bus company with an internet-based reservation system is succeeding wildly, perhaps paving the way for successful bus transit (and away from rail).
A Transportation Census That Really Counts
New York City has created its own version of the census to track transportation in the city, a job it says the federal government's counting system does poorly.
Does the U.S. Need More Highways?
National Journal asks its panel of experts whether the U.S. needs more highways, and if they should or shouldn't be a major part of transportation funding in the near future.
Funding Issues Keep American Tranposrtation Infrastructure Down
This article from The Economist explains why America's transportation system is failing, and how the federal government's infrastructure funding mechanisms are contributing to the decline.
Other Cities Look at L.A.'s Transit Funding Plan
Los Angeles has taxed itself to raise money for transit projects, and now officials want to borrow against those future earnings to speed up projects. This article wonders if that's a model other cities can and should follow.
How Chinese Megacities Avoid Problems
Megacities are quickly on the rise in China. But as this post from New Geography argues, they've managed to avoid problems currently faced by other megacities in developing nations.
"Cycle Tracks" for Safety in Cities
Public health researcher Anne Lusk argues that installing bike routes separate from motor vehicles will boost cycling and make compact communities work better.
In Manhattan, Shopping and Driving Don't Mix
The New York City Department of Transportation's yearly statistical smorgasbord adds a new tool: neighborhood travel profiles showing how people arrived in eight neighborhoods. In many of them, the number of drivers was in the single digits.
Urban Gondola to Light Rail
Calgary, Alberta is getting inventive with its transit system and considering building an urban gondola to soar high above the city and connect light rail stops.
Central Valley & SF Peninsula Battle Over HSR Planning
A compromise high speed rail approach for the Peninsula to have the train use the existing Caltrain corridor without elevating or widening it may have mollified some Peninsula HSR opponents but stirred opposition by Central Valley HSR advocates.
Improving Planning in San Francisco
The Wall Street Journal talks with Gabriel Metcalf, executive director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, about where the city is heading and how it needs to change.
Can Pod Cars Transform Traffic in Delhi?
Delhi is considering installing "pod cars," known in the U.S. as personal rapid transit or PRT, as a form of public transportation.
How Far Will People Walk?
Planners have embraced "1/4th of a mile" as the official distance that people are willing to walk to take transit. But why is that the measure, and is it accurate?
NJ Gov. Christie on the Hook for $271 Million
New Jersey owes the Feds $271 million for canceling the infamous, $9 billion Hudson River rail tunnel. The state was ordered to pay up in not-so-subtle terms by DOT Secretary LaHood.
Developer: I've Walked Away From Projects Because of Parking Minimums
Why is it so hard to build in New York City? Why are rents so expensive? It's partly because parking requirement are so onerous that developers are doing everything they can to avoid them, writes Noah Kazis.
Redesigning a Car Museum to Be Less Car-Like
The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles was built into a 1960s department store, and in the 90s the facade was fashioned to look like the grill of a vintage car. With new funds in hand, the museum wants something more "attention-grabbing".
Billion Dollar Rail Proposed in Victoria
Planners in Victoria, British Columbia, are proposing a new light rail line for the city. Despite its $1 billion price tag, the transit line is expected to see wide support.
D.C. Bikeshare Considers Expansion
The bike sharing system that's been operating in Washington D.C. has seen success in its early months, and an expansion is planned.
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
