Transportation

TOD Q&A With John Renne and Jeff Wood

Transit oriented development experts John Renne, PhD, and Jeff Wood recently fielded questions from Planetizen readers about TOD, its current applications and its future.

January 8, 2009 - Planetizen

Miami's Highway Shoe Mystery Remains Unsolved

Was it a walkability protest, political demonstration, or just an accident? Regardless, the thousands of used shoes that covered Miami's Palmetto Expressway last week, delaying traffic for hours, are now on their way to Haiti.

January 7, 2009 - Miami Herald

Young, Japanese, and Car-Free

Young Japanese men and women are ditching the car as a status symbol, sparking concern for car companies.

January 7, 2009 - The Oregonian

Are We Resuscitating a Dinosaur?

A panel of experts weighs in. Is rebuilding rail transit the way of the future, or just reviving a system that should stay extinct?

January 7, 2009 - The Hawaii Reporter

TOD at Hollywood & Western, 10 Years Later

Stephen Box, a bicycle advocate in Los Angeles, reviews the famous TOD project at the intersection of Hollywood and Western 10 years after it opened. Is "It's Not As Bad As It Used To Be" enough?

January 6, 2009 - SoapBoxLA

Sydney Pins New Growth to Mass Transit Plans

Officials in Sydney, Australia, are creating a blueprint for the city that envisions a broad mass transit system, increased density in the inner city and the suburbs and a much higher skyline.

January 6, 2009 - The Sydney Morning Herald

Neighborhood Rises Again Through Rail

This piece from The Washington Post looks at a formerly thriving streetcar neighborhood that has become a thriving Metro neighborhood -- despite decades of decline in between.

January 6, 2009 - The Washington Post

A Second Federal Commission Pushes Fuel Tax Hike

Exactly a year after the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission released its report calling for a fuel tax hike, the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission calls for much of the same.

January 5, 2009 - Takepart

Oregon To Introduce VMT Fee Legislation

Oregon was the first state to study replacing state gas taxes with a Vehicle Miles Traveled fee in 2007. Now Gov. Kulongoski is taking the next step - introducing legislation to replace the 24-cent gas tax with a VMT fee that applies GPS technology.

January 5, 2009 - Corvallis Gazette Times

Big Three a Hard Sell Among Young Folks

Research shows that of the ten vehicles most popular with 16-35-year olds, not one comes from the Big Three U.S. manufacturers. CampusProgress.org argues that it will take more than a bailout to attract younger customers.

January 5, 2009 - Campus Progress

'Instant Cab Culture' Unlikely in L.A.

The city of Los Angeles has instituted an experimental program encouraging people to hail taxi cabs rather than call ahead, an effort the city hopes will create a "cab culture". This column is skeptical about how much impact the plan can have.

January 5, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Agreement to Increase Freight Train Traffic Roils Suburbs

A new agreement has been made that would divert more freight train traffic through Chicago area suburbs. Local communities upset about the increased traffic are expected to challenge the decision.

January 4, 2009 - Chicago Tribune

Without Funding, State Transportation Projects Stall

Thousands of transportation projects across the country are being temporarily halted or canceled completely due to lack of funding. More than 40 states have been forced to cut back on transportation projects.

January 4, 2009 - The New York Times

Atlanta Envious of New Phoenix Light Rail

As a new light rail system begins operation in Phoenix, Atlanta residents look on with envy. Some worry that the lack of viable public transit in Atlanta threatens the city's competitiveness.

January 3, 2009 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Rand: Best Congestion Strategies Are Price-Based

In 2008, RAND Corp. conducted a study on mitigating traffic congestion in Los Angeles. They studied two types of strategies: conventional, e.g. signal timing, and market-based, e.g. increased the price of driving. The results were surprising.

January 2, 2009 - Gristmill Blog

SUVs And Light Trucks Make Comeback

Cheap gas, great deals, and winter weather resulted in SUV and light trucks resuming their dominance in vehicle sales in December, climbing to 51% of all sales, as Prius sales dipped 48% in November.

January 2, 2009 - CNNMoney.com

Top 10 Trends in Green Transportation

Inhabitat selects their top 10, ranging from DIY bicycles to the fall of the S.U.V. Notably, transit is barely mentioned.

January 2, 2009 - Inhabitat

NYT Editorial And Column Push Gas Tax

A NYT editorial and NYT columnist Thomas Friedman both arrive at the same conclusion - some type of gas tax is essential for both the auto bailout and Obama's goal of greening the U.S. economy.

January 1, 2009 - The New York Times

Top Planning Issues Of 2008

January 1, 2009 - Abhijeet Chavan

Smile, You've Been Rear-Ended

A new study in Houston reveals that the number of crashes at intersections with new red-light cameras has doubled from the time before they were installed.

December 31, 2008 - Houston Chronicle

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.

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.