Transportation

Breaking Out of Silos and Across Borders

With interdepartmental cooperation blossoming within the Obama administration, Neal Peirce wonders how things will shake down when policies hit metropolitan regions -- and the municipal borders that can impede and confuse policy.

June 29, 2009 - Citiwire

D.C. Bus Gets Real-Time Locator Application

A new web-based application that tracks the location of Washington D.C.'s Circulator bus has been released.DCist reports.

June 29, 2009 - DCist

Ownership of Bus Arrival Data Disputed

The story of how an iPhone application charting public transit arrival times led to as-yet-unanswered questions about who owns this public data -- or whether it can be owned at all.

June 29, 2009 - SF Appeal

BART Looking at Vendors to Boost Revenues

The San Francisco Bay Area's BART regional transit system is considering a plan to expand the amount of retailers and vendors it allows within its stations as a way to boost revenue.

June 27, 2009 - San Francisco Examiner

Bicycle Use Surpasses Car Use in Amsterdam

According to the latest numbers out of Amsterdam, residents are for the first time using bicycles for transport more often than they use their cars.

June 27, 2009 - The Oregonian

Inspection in Philly After D.C. Crash

SEPTA of Philadelphia will inspect train-control signals made by the same company that made the signals on the Metro in D.C, where a possible signal malfunction is under investigation in the recent train crash.

June 26, 2009 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Bike Arcing

A new system of bike storage debuts in Palo Alto and Redwood City, CA next week. The Bike Arc aims to be more elegant and space-saving than the standard U-shaped rack.

June 26, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

CTA Cutting Service

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) says service cuts are imminent, and invites the public to weigh in on how the cuts will play out.

June 25, 2009 - Chicago Tribune

Tram-Train Technology Debuts

European cities are experimenting with trains that can switch from heavy rail (to reach suburbs on existing tracks) and street-running fixed link systems (to reach city centers).

June 25, 2009 - City Mayors

Megaregions and Megaproblems

As America's metropolitan areas meld into "megaregions", officials and policymakers will need to figure out how to deal with their shared and growing infrastructure problems. Consider the ball rolling.

June 25, 2009 - Nate Berg

Hartford Citizens Call For Highway Removal

An elevated section of 1-84 cut right through downtown Hartford. As repair plans are put in place, citizens are calling for the stretch of highway to be torn down instead.

June 24, 2009 - SF.STREETSBLOG.org

Historic Trolleys Almost Scrapped

St. Joseph, Missouri, facing low ridership on its historic trolleys, put them in storage. Five years later, the city is unsure what to do with their non-working streetcars.

June 24, 2009 - St. Joseph News

New Report: Use Cap & Trade Revenue To Invest In Smart Growth

Cap and trade is the topic du jour in climate change circles. A new report from CCAP makes the economic case for using those revenues to promote smart growth that reduces transportation emissions though VMT reductions.

June 24, 2009 - Center for Clean Air Policy Press Release

Kunstler Says "Too Late" For High-Speed Rail

Returning from CNU, James Howard Kunstler reacts to a NY Times article about California's high-speed rail plans, and reflects on New Urbanism's shift away from traditional-neighborhood developments and into preparing for the 'long emergency'.

June 23, 2009 - Kunstler.com

Big Cities Call Stimulus Distribution Unfair

Mayors from big cities are feeling shortchanged by the federal government, which they say is disproportionately handing out stimulus money to small and rural areas.

June 23, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Fake Parking Signs Posted by Frustrated Stadium Neighbors

Neighbors of Dodger Stadium who are frustrated over game-day traffic and a lack of parking are trying to deal with the hordes of baseball fans by erecting fake signs.

June 23, 2009 - The Eastsider LA

Speed Cameras May Save Lives

There are some arguments against speed cameras, but one says bicyclists are one of the major hazards on roadways.

June 23, 2009 - Wash Cycle

Ten Train Stations, Lost Forever

The loss of NY's Penn Station spurred an entire movement in historic preservation. But it was not an isolated incident- The Infrastructurist looks at 10 beautiful train stations that fell to the wrecking ball.

June 22, 2009 - The Infrastructurist

The Best Laid Plans for TOD, Stalled

Planners in New Jersey developed ambitious plans for transit-oriented development along their rail corridors, but with the struggling housing market and poor economy, developers aren't showing up or have halted projects in the works.

June 22, 2009 - The New York Times

Parking Vs. Healthy Food

Some cities are change zoning laws to free smaller supermarkets from having to supply parking spaces in order to provide enough nutritious food to low-income residents.

June 22, 2009 - STREETSBLOG.ORG

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.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.