Transportation
The Future of Vancouver Transit, Post-Olympics
In anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics, transportation planners in Vancouver are plotting permanent expansions to the city's public transit system. Demand will be high during the games, but many wonder what will happen after.
Feds Stop Stimulus Swap
Officials in Southern California cities that had hoped to trade off their share of federal stimulus funds for transportation projects to other cities have been denied by Congress, which is calling on municipalities to use the money as intended.
L.A. is Number One in Traffic Delays, Says Study
As part of a larger series, NY Times guest blogger Eric A Morris talks about traffic in LA, and how the city's structure affects ease of transportation.
Stimulus Shell Game in Los Angeles
Some cities in Los Angeles were caught cutting deals to sell shares of their federal stimulus funds to the highest bidder. The MTA has put the kibosh on any money swapping.
Planning Paris' Makeover
Though challenged with facing a multi-tiered government, Nicholas Sarkozy has nonetheless devised one of the most ambitious plans ever for Paris. To reimagine this bolder, greener "Grand Paris," he has put 10 teams of architects and planners to work.
Public Transit Ridership at 52-Year High
Since the creation of the Interstate highway system, Americans have never ridden public transportation as heavily as they did in 2008. This year, however, the upward trend will probably not continue.
Obama Rejects Gas Tax, VMT Fee
Ray LaHood rejected raising the gas tax, then President Obama rejected a vehicle-miles-traveled fee. What's left is "out-of-the-box" ideas like tolling and public-private-partnerships.
De-isolating the Pedestrian Mall
Car-free for more than 15 years, Chicago opened its dying pedestrian mall on State Street to vehicular traffic in 1996, with huge success. Should Boston planners and officials consider a similar strategy for its Downtown Crossing?
Detroit's Bike Path Connection
This piece from Metropolis looks at a rail line that was converted into a bike trail in Detroit, and how it has become a well-used neighborhood connector.
Road Funding: Doing More With Less
Roads and bridges are crumbling in America. The Highway Trust Fund is broke and new revenue other than stimulus funds are unlikely, so some state transportation officials are applying innovative methods to spread the road funding they have secured.
Will Politics Harm Allocation Of $8 Billion In HSR Funds?
The $8 billion in stimulus funds allocated to high speed rail marks a turning point in a road-airport dominated U.S. transportation network, but the politics of allocating the funds may prevent results needed to showcase HSR.
Three Things the Mayor Can Do to Fix L.A.
Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne offers three pieces of advice to recently re-elected L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for improving his city -- and his urban planning credibility.
Reducing Emissions By Measuring Carbon In Fuel
CA's Air Resources Board has issued a new regulation to reduce carbon from fuels - and the ethanol industry isn't happy.
Planned SF Transit Terminal May Be Obsolete By 2030
Designs for the new Transbay Terminal in San Francisco may not be able to handle the amount of passengers expected by 2030, according to transportation officials. Some are calling for a redesign of the plans, set to begin construction next year.
Cities Begin To Rethink Parking Policies
Three years after the publication of The High Cost of Free Parking, Prof. Don Shoup's work has begun to take hold across the country. Cities from San Francisco to Washington, DC, are starting to curb traffic and recognize the true cost of parking.
A Plea for PR: Bicycling in the City
A longtime urban cyclist compares cycling today with cycling twenty years ago, and considers how best to move forward.
Ridership Increases in Boroughs, Even As Cuts Loom
The Center for an Urban Future found that ridership in the greater Manhattan area has been up significantly since 1998. But these routes are precisely the ones targeted for service cuts due to decreased revenue.
Boosting the "Mobile" in Automobile
Three authors in the French Newspaper Le Monde pose possible futures for the car and the automobile industry.
Bike Sharing, C'est Bien en Paris
Jay Walljasper writes that bike-sharing programs are transforming life in European cities from Oslo to Rome, Barcelona to Vienna, and giving visitors a great new way to sightsee.
Experts Question $8 Billion HSR Stimulus Investment
No one expects the $8 billion to build any one single high-speed-rail system in the U.S. But the U.S., with its vast distances and low gas prices, is not Europe or Asia, and some question whether the investment will produce any substantial results.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
