Transportation

Freeways That Should Come Down

CNU president John Norquist stars in this video from Streetfilms about the problem of inner-city highways and the steps some cities are taking to get rid of theirs.

April 11, 2011 - Streetfilms

Transit Use Up Again, Thanks to Expensive Gas

As reporter Robert J. Hawkins notes, "It's like 2008 all over again." Back then, skyrocketing gas prices sent people fleeing to use public transit. Today, the pattern remains the same, at least in San Diego.

April 11, 2011 - San Diego Union-Tribune

Shoup Explains Parking Policy to Libertarians

Parking guru Donald Shoup writes for the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank, explaining why free markets and free parking go together.

April 10, 2011 - Cato Institute

If the Government Shuts Down, Will the Trains Still Run?

Transit agencies brace for reduced ridership but will keep running -- for a little while, at least.

April 10, 2011 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Bicycle Trends Shifting

This review of data on bicycling shows shifts in who is biking in America, and how often. A key shift: whites aren't the only ones on two wheels.

April 10, 2011 - Grist

The Next Dubai

The tiny mideast country of Qatar is a new hotbed of infrastructure activity and foreign investment, leading some to suggest that it will be the next place to take off in the region.

April 9, 2011 - CNBC

Friday Funny: Big Wheel vs. NYC Bus (VIDEO)

Comedian Mark Malkoff set out to demonstrate the state of public bus transit in NYC by racing a city bus while riding a child's tricycle.

April 8, 2011 - Streets Blog

How An Inner-City Freeway Disappeared

A "crazy idea" to remove an inner city freeway in Seoul, South Korea turned to reality. This piece tells the story about how this unlikely event came to be.

April 8, 2011 - Grist

Videos Critique Twin Cities' Skyways

Skyways in Minneapolis and St. Paul have been a major part of the two cities downtowns for years, but are also blamed for killing their streetlife. A new video competition challenged filmmakers to explore that dichotomy.

April 7, 2011 - MinnPost

The Good and Bad of London's "Boris Bikes"

According to Joe Peach of This Big City, London public transit finally got something right with its cycle hire scheme, now known as "Boris Bikes."

April 7, 2011 - This Big City

Should Car Pool Lanes Require Three-to-a-Car?

Jarrett Walker of Human Transit writes that car-pool rules need to be updated to effectively deal with congestion on the country's highways.

April 7, 2011 - Human Transit

Traffic Calming: Making Streets Safer

The concept of "traffic calming," in which urban streets are altered in order to make them feel slower for drivers is discussed in this video from Street Films.

April 7, 2011 - StreetFilms.org

New Bill Pushes Intelligent Transportation Systems

Under House Resolution 995, six cities would be selected as test pilots for advanced ITS technology. Rep. Russ Carnahan, who introduced the bill, says the technologies exist today, they just need to be integrated and deployed.

April 6, 2011 - Wired

Transportation is Destiny

Transportation is destiny, and cities must adapt. Demography: ditto. Bill Barnes finds digs into a pile of "big think" planning books and pulls out a number of lessons for the future.

April 6, 2011 - Nation's Cities Weekly

"Dark Times" for Milwaukee County Public Transit

As a part of its "Communities in Crisis" feature, the Huffington Post looks at how budget cuts are eroding Milwaukee County's public transit service, to the detriment of transit-dependent employees -- and its economy.

April 6, 2011 - Huffington Post

Developer Claims That Public Transit Works For Baseball, But Not Football Fans

An executive of Majestic Realty, one of the developers bidding to construct an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, cited sprawl in the City of Industry as an advantage over AEG's proposal to build a stadium in downtown LA.

April 5, 2011 - LA Streets Blog

The Auto Industry's Smear Campaign on Cycling

An article posted on DC Streets Blog claims to explain the relationship between ad dollars from the automotive industry and the media's "bike backlash."

April 4, 2011 - DC Streets Blog

Raising the Status of Public Transit

A study that asked regular drivers in Boston and San Francisco to go car-free found that access to real-time mobile information was key to raising the status of public transit for study participants.

April 4, 2011 - Next American City

Take A Ride on Guangzhou’s Bus Rapid Transit

Streetsfilms pays a visit to Guangzhou, China, one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Guangzhou's bus rapid transit system opened in February of last year, and now carries 800,000 passengers a day.

April 4, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Relieving Traffic By Unconventional Means

USA Today reports on some of the more unusual methods being tried around the United States to relieve traffic congestion.

April 4, 2011 - USA Today

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.