Transportation

Urbanism Ain't Elitist

One of columnist Steve Berg's New Year's resolutions is to explain to how supporting urbanist ideas like using cars less and retrofitting suburbs come from sound principles and aren't based in elitism.

January 12, 2011 - The Minneapolis Post

Did London Misjudge Demand for Bike Sharing?

In a review of the new bike sharing program in London, The Economist raises the question of whether the city wrongly predicted the existing demand for the service.

January 11, 2011 - The Economist

Wayfinding Symbols Across the World

Metro stations, train stations and streetcar systems have distinct ways of showing how to get from one area to another. TheCityFix's Jonna McKone looks at mass transit systems from Mexico City to Paris and the visual representations used in each one.

January 11, 2011 - TheCityFix

Dreaming Detroit: Decline to Renaissance

The state of Detroit is alarming, particularly in its continued dependence on cars, but there is hope that the city could reinvent itself as an ecological metropolis, says Jeffrey Kenworthy of the Curtin University of Technology.

January 10, 2011 - Jeff Kenworthy

Chicago Puts Roads On A Diet

Lawrence Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Square ballooned over the years to 4 lanes. Putting the street on a "road diet" will make it friendlier to pedestrians.

January 10, 2011 - The Chicago Tribune

Iowa May Reject Fed HSR Funding

Sounding very much like the new OH and WI Republican governors, a key state Republican legislator wants to avoid the ongoing state subsidy for Iowa City to Chicago trains. At stake is $230 million in a Federal rail grant to build 110 mph trains.

January 10, 2011 - Des Moines Register

Seattle Tunnel Contracts Signed, But Opposition Remains

Contracts have been signed on a tunnel project to replace the earthquake-damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle. But opponents are still trying to stop the project.

January 9, 2011 - The Seattle Times

Mayors on Smart Cities

Mayors of some of the biggest cities in the U.S. talk about what makes a city smart, and how cities can become smarter.

January 9, 2011 - Time

Reasons to be Nice to Pedestrians

Anthony Flint offers this list of the top ten reasons to be nice to pedestrians in 2011.

January 8, 2011 - The Boston Globe

If You Build It, Will They Come?

California's high-speed rail project is in fact going to be built despite the state's looming budget crisis, but many are beginning to question what kind of impact the project will have if the right development around train stations is not met.

January 7, 2011 - The Bay Citizen

Mayor's Legacy: Revitalized Streetscapes

As San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom prepares to leave for Sacramento to become Lt. Governor, he praises the latest road diet plan - reducing busy Cesar Chavez St. from 6-4 lanes with landscaped median and bike lanes and views it as part of his legacy

January 7, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

California's Slow Speed Amtrak Trains See Ridership Gain

It's not just the High Speed Rail project making news these days in California. The three 79 mph, state-subsidized inter-city lines: Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin, and Pacific Surfliner (nation's second busiest), all registered riderships gains.

January 7, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

Florida Transportation Planners Still Pushing Roads

In this op-ed, Daniel Shoer Roth says that fast roads are still the be-all and end-all of transportation planning in South Florida.

January 7, 2011 - The Miami Herald

Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance Could Relieve Traffic Congestion

By charging drivers for each mile they travel, rather than a fixed amount, pay-as-you-drive insurance could cut driving by eight percent nationally, or more than eleven percent in New York State, says a Brookings Institution report.

January 7, 2011 - Streetsblog

Copenhagen's Bikes on Rails

Jonna McKone of TheCityFix looks at Copenhagen's recently added rail cars that are specifically for bicyclists and other passengers with special needs.

January 7, 2011 - TheCityFix

Salt Lake City Mayor's Streetcar Moment

In his annual state-of-the-city speech, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker highlighted what he sees as his most important accomplishment: a streetcar.

January 6, 2011 - Deseret News

Researchers Refute Higher Density=Better Transit Principle

Prevailing wisdom is that transit mode and frequency of service is dependent on residential density, which leaves low density, outer suburbs in a lurch, instilling an auto-dependent lifestyle. Not so, says Australian researcher and author Paul Mees.

January 5, 2011 - The Age: Victoria

BRT Hits NYC

New dedicated lanes and limited-stop buses have entered the transportation picture in New York City.

January 5, 2011 - The New York Times

Road Safety Bill Aimed at Cars and Bikes

A new road safety bill up for consideration in Washington would increase rules and regulations for motorists and cyclists.

January 5, 2011 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

No Relief For Gridlock

MacDill Air Force Base has created a snarl of traffic in Tampa. Transportation planners are at a loss to find a solution so far.

January 5, 2011 - The St. Petersburg Times

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.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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.