Transportation

Canadian Cities Wiring for Electric Vehicles

For electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to really take off, there needs to be a coordinated effort between planners, developers and the utilities to ensure the infrastructure is in place. Some Canadian cities are already taking action.

April 6, 2010 - The Globe and Mail

Paratransit Collides with Politics in Philly

Thanks in part to federal grants, wheelchair-accessible taxi service is available in most major American cities - San Francisco, L.A., Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., but not in Philadelphia, where the issue is stalled in the statehouse.

April 6, 2010 - Philadelphia Daily News

AARP Asks: Is A Streetcar Coming To Your City?

AARP takes a comprehensive looks at streetcars, exploring their past demise, comeback, and now spreading to as many as 40 cities. Special attention is given to the Portland Streetcar and how the streetcar enables better mobility for seniors.

April 6, 2010 - AARP Bulletin Today

Guerrilla Sharrows

In Los Angeles, wheat-pasted posters that indicate bike lanes have been cropping up on utility boxes all over the city.

April 5, 2010 - GOOD Magazine

Texas Toll Roads Go Cash Free

North Texas Tollway (NTTA) has announced their intention to go all electronic for their toll roads by the end of the year, and Florida will soon follow.

April 5, 2010 - TOLLROADSnews

Combined NHTSA & EPA Standards for New Cars Issued

Normally fuel economy standards are set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Due to the 2007 Supreme Court ruling on the Clean Air Act, the new rules are jointly issued by the EPA to regulate tailpipe emissions as well as CAFE.

April 5, 2010 - Union Of Concerned Scientists

Highway Trust Fund Bailed Out With $19.5 Billion 'Reimbursement'

One of the most significant pieces of legislation for transportation was last month's job bill that contained essential transportation provisions, including extension of the transportation act, $19.5 Billion to HTF, $4.6 billion to Buy America Bonds.

April 2, 2010 - AASHTO Journal

How To Design Your Own Speed Bump - In German

A German homeowner is frustrated with the traffic in his neighborhood, so he designs and installs his own speed bump for his street. While there are no English subtitles, the pictures and sounds illustrate the directions and results all too well.

April 2, 2010 - YouTube

LEED Certification For Parking: Reserve Space For Low Emitters

A Marin County shopping mall hopes to be the first LEED-certified mall, partly by reserving parking space for low emitting vehicles. All spaces, for guzzlers and green vehicles alike, are unpriced, perhaps pointing to shortfalls of green building.

April 1, 2010 - Marin Independent Journal

Five Things You Need To Know About High-Speed Rail

To inaugurate the launch of our new website with exclusive coverage of high-speed rail, we asked David J. Carol, Market Leader of High-Speed Rail at Parsons Brinkerhoff to tell us what we need to know about the U.S.'s exciting new endeavor.

April 1, 2010 - David J. Carol

San Francisco Counts its Parking

Very few large cities can claim to know how many parking spaces they have. San Francisco has counted its publicly accessibly parking supply and released the data to through Data SF website.

March 30, 2010 - Streetsblog San Francisco

Feds Put Faith in L.A. Transit Plan

Federal officials are looking at an unlikely city as a model for urban public transit: Los Angeles.

March 29, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Pittsburgh Bike Parking Requirement Ushers Age of Bicycle

The City of Pittsburgh recently approved a new ordinance requiring bike parking in new developments. Cyclists say the move is a ceremonial acceptance of bicycles as a form of transportation in the city.

March 29, 2010 - Next American City

Transit Fan Takes the Helm

Last week, Richard A. Davey Jr. was appointed the new general manager of the MBTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The Boston Globe's transportation reporter rides the T with him and talks transit.

March 29, 2010 - The Boston Globe

Big Dip in Traffic Fatalities

A preliminary count of all road fatalities in 2009 shows a record low figure of 33,963; almost 9% lower than 2008. The final count is due this summer. While the declining VMT due to a depressed economy was a major factor, the rate declined as well.

March 28, 2010 - The New York Times - Wheels

Bikes, Transit and Walking Ahead of Cars?

Sam Staley of the Reason Foundation argues that Ray LaHood's recent statement that bikes and pedestrians will be considered on the same level as cars doesn't mesh with the facts.

March 28, 2010 - Reason

Rapid Transit for Sin City

Jacob Snow, the executive director of the Clark County Regional Transportation Commission, can't hide his excitement about new rapid transit buses coming to the Las Vegas area in this editorial.

March 27, 2010 - Las Vegas Sun

New Scorecard From NY DOT: Driving in Decline, Safety Improvements Work

New York City's second annual Sustainable Streets Index adds a wealth of data in support of green transportation and street safety.

March 26, 2010 - Streetsblog

Sadik-Kahn Comes to Car-centric L.A.

NY DOT head Janette Sadik-Kahn spoke in Los Angeles earlier this week to a adoring crowd, with advice on how to make room for bikes and pedestrians.

March 26, 2010 - The Los Angeles Times

TOD Plans Approved in White Flint

Montgomery County officials have approved plans to build an extensive new transit-oriented neighborhood at the area around the White Flint Metro stop in North Bethesda, Maryland. The plan is one of the largest in the D.C. area since the 1950s.

March 26, 2010 - The Washington Post

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.