Transportation

The State of Happiness

A new study ranks the U.S. states by residents' happiness. From Louisiana (#1) to New York (#51), the happiest people tend to live in sunny, outdoorsy states with strong quality of life measures.

February 9, 2010 - USA Today

Transportation On Parade

Washington County, Utah invites the public once a year to see what transportation projects are in the works and talk to planners and engineers. The meet-and-greet has proved highly popular and a way for information to flow both ways.

February 9, 2010 - The Spectrum and Daily News

DOT, HUD and EPA All Trumpet Smart Growth

Anthony Flint reports from the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, where the Feds all spoke about coordinating at the federal level to implement smart growth policies.

February 8, 2010 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy blog

Where Will We All Park? A Slightly Premature Case Study of Hoboken, New Jersey

Hoboken, New Jersey's Department of Transportation and Parking Director Ian Sacs offers this profile of his city and discusses how the dense but car-enamored city is trying to tackle the contemporary urban parking problem.

February 8, 2010 - Ian Sacs

NYC's "Bus of the Future" Debuts On Bronx BRT Route

What's good for the Bronx turns out to be good for upstate NY. In this case, a Plattsburgh bus manufacturer has received the first orders for what is promoted as the "bus of the future of NYC transit": 3-doors, articulated, low-floor, & low emission.

February 8, 2010 - Second Ave. Sagas

Saving Money By Converting Asphalt to Gravel

In an effort to cut transportation maintenance costs, some cities are ditching their asphalt roads and going back to gravel.

February 8, 2010 - USA Today

L.A. to Extend Light Rail

Transportation officials in Los Angeles have approved the extension of one of the city's light rail lines out to Santa Monica. The new 7-mile link will connect the oceanside town to downtown L.A.

February 7, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Fighting Obesity With Traffic Calming

The latest news in the impact of the built environment on health: A new study says that children who live within 150 meters of congested roads have higher body mass indexes than kids that do not.

February 7, 2010 - Streetsblog

Hopping the HSR to Future Detroit

America 2050 releases a new video imagining what a commute in future Detroit could look like, including car sharing, high-speed rail, and a light rail connector.

February 6, 2010 - America 2050

Experts Predict NYC Will (Re)Try Congestion Pricing

In April, 2008, the state assembly rejected Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan. In this recent panel, the experts agree that the revenue the project would have produced for improving city transportation infrastructure is vital to its future.

February 5, 2010 - Streetsblog

Paying Toll at a Tollbooth? There's An App For That

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) is about to test run a system where drivers can pay their toll using only their iPhone, Blackberry, or MS Windows Mobile-enabled phone.

February 4, 2010 - TOLLROADSnews

Portland's Pricey Bike Plan

The City of Portland is considering its 2030 Bike Plan today. Some question whether the $613 million price tag is worthwhile.

February 4, 2010 - The Oregonian

Comparing Five of The Nation's Biggest Transit Systems

GOOD takes a look at five of the nation's biggest public transit systems and compares their ridership, average speeds, and average miles per trip.

February 4, 2010 - Good

American High Speed Rail: Transportation and Jobs

The Infrastructurist's Melissa Lafsky is on Fox Business to discuss the prospect of high speed rail in America -- both in terms of transportation and jobs.

February 4, 2010 - Fox Business

Bike Sharing Rolls Nationwide

2010 may become a tipping-point for bike-share programs with new pilots popping up in Denver, Boston and Minneapolis.

February 3, 2010 - Marketplace Radio

FTA's Transit Recommendations Favor Financial Plans

Transport Politic takes a detailed look at the transportation projects suggested by the Federal Transit Administration's recently released Annual Report on Funding Recommendations.

February 3, 2010 - Transport Politic

Creating Bicycle Corridors

This post from GOOD looks at how a street can become a bicycle corridor.

February 3, 2010 - Good

Was High-Speed Rail Investment Worthwhile?

National Journal asks its panel of transportation experts whether the Obama Administration's recent announcement of high-speed rail funding projects is really a wise investment.

February 3, 2010 - National Journal

HSR Funds Better Spent on Local Transit, Says Editorial

The St. Louis Post Dispatch laments the $1.1 billion the St.Louis to Chicago corridor received for high speed rail, wishing it had gone to worthier projects such as subsidizing local public transit.

February 2, 2010 - St.Louis Post-Dispatch

Nevada Passed Over for High-Speed Rail

The Department of Transportation has decided that the proposed Las Vegas - Southern California maglev train was not far enough along to be eligible for funding, which is meant to go towards more immediate solutions.

February 2, 2010 - Las Vegas Review-Journal

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.

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.