Transportation
The Risky Business of Airports
Airports are important investments for cities, but are also highly risky because they rely heavily on the whims of the airline business. Alex Marshall looks at how some of the underrepresented airports are coping.
Electrify Or Die
That's the verdict from a report released April 22 by officials of Caltrain, the nearly 150-year-old commuter line connecting San Francisco, San Jose, and Peninsula suburbs. In turn, the key to electrification is cooperation with the CA HSR Authority
The Rise of the Electric Bike
In China, an estimated 120 million electric bicycles are on the streets. So why haven't they caught on in the U.S.? Reporter Alan Durning thinks its time.
The Campaign for Subway Etiquette
Graphic designer Jay Shells has created a set of 10 official-looking posters suggesting better etiquette in the New York City subway. Suggestions include not wiping barbecue sauce on pole and not clipping your fingernails on the train.
Consolidating Stops to Make Buses Run Faster
Riders of San Francisco's Muni bus system often complain that the buses stop too much. Now, evidence is building that simply consolidating bus stops will help to make the buses run faster and more reliably.
Studying Light Rail to Death?
Winnipeg has been debating -- and studying-- rapid transit for decades. With the first leg of a BRT system finally under construction, critics are questioning the mayor's decision to fund yet another study on LRT.
TOD Diluted
Brian Paul argues that developers have jumped on the transit-oriented development bandwagon without actually delivering true TOD.
BRT Blossoms in India
This piece from Places takes a look at a new bus rapid transit system that is growing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
Sustainable Transport Saves New Yorkers $19 Billion Per Year
A new report from CEOs for Cities shows that New Yorkers save a lot of moola on their transportation costs because of their city's walkability and transit options.
The Demise of the Bar Car
The Metro North rail line out of Grand Central Terminal has one of the last bar cars in the U.S., but railroad officials are replacing the aging cars and the bar car may be a victim of the budget.
From Bedroom Communities to Jet Engine Communities
More and more people working in the San Francisco Bay Area are opting for cheaper housing outside the region. Some are going way outside the region, commuting by airplane from Portland or Seattle.
'Desprawling' the Suburbs
Tysons Corner, Virginia, represents an unlikely pilot project for "desprawling" America's suburbs, but the expansion of Metro rail through the town has been seized by local officials as an opportunity to revamp the city's urban form and density.
Why Auto-Rickshaws Matter for India
With rapid population growth in Indian cities and a rise in private car ownership, it is critical to reassess the role of auto-rickshaws in the urban transportation landscape, say Akshay Mani and Amit Bhatt.
Honolulu's Rail Plan Debated Amongst Engineers
A Univ. of HI civil engineering professor blasts the professional engineering group of Hawaii's endorsement of the planned, elevated rail system. Voters supported the system in a 2008 election, but it has since become politically contentious.
Streetcar Suburbs May Not Actually Support Streetcars
Yonah Freemark suggests that the original streetcar suburbs were actually not dense enough to continue supporting streetcars back in the day.
The Manliest of Cities
AskMen.com ranks the Top 29 cities in the world to be a man, using a highly scientific ranking system based on the price of an iPod, the city's GDP, the ratio of men to women, and - the efficiency of public transit?
Running Cities Like A Business
Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez writes that the great success of Mayor Bloomberg's PlanNYC is due in large part to a process that borrowed key principles from the business world.
Transit Officials Broaden Vision for Phoenix Light Rail
Changing demographics and transit demands in the Phoenix area are causing transit planners to rethink where the region's light rail system should expand.
Overhead Wires Cloud Future of D.C. Streetcar and Reputation
Washington D.C. is moving forward with plans to construct streetcars in the city, but a law more than 100 years old banning overhead wires is threatening the progress of those plans.
Climate/Energy Gas Tax Nixed
Despite many reports to the contrary, the developing climate legislation by Senators Graham, Lieberman, and Kerry to be unveiled April 26 will not include a fuel fee, reports The Hill. And don't blame the oil industry - they supported the gas tax.
Pagination
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.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello