Transportation

Cool Walkability Planning
Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

Sound Transit Reveals Early 2024 Service Plans
Seattle’s transit agency is looking to maximize its limited resources as it continues to grapple with staffing shortages and supply chain issues across the region.

Micromobility Plus Transit Equals Jobs
Linking micromobility options to public transit can improve job acessibility, new research finds.

Utah DOT Plans to Expand Interstate Despite Local Concerns
With more evidence pointing to the futility of expanding freeways, the state could take a creative approach to improving travel times and providing additional transportation options.

Albany Freeway Ramp Reimagined as Park, Trail
An underused freeway exit ramp is now an inviting linear park that connects the city to the Hudson River.

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.
The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

Key Points From the Tesla Data Leak
Thousands of leaked safety complaints about the electric carmaker reveal a pervasive effort to hide problems from the public and prevent customers from filing lawsuits.

Trees Beautify Segment of Atlanta’s BeltLine
A local nonprofit planted 500 trees along a previously unimpressive segment of the bike and walking trail, creating an ‘instant forest’ effect.

Biden's Truck Pollution Rule Hanging by a Thread
Four House Democrats joined all but one Republican to enact the Congressional Review Act to roll back President Biden's rule on heavy truck pollution approved by the EPA last December. The Senate had earlier narrowly passed the joint resolution.

Bellevue Issues Curb Management Plan
The plan reorients the city’s priorities from vehicle throughput and parking to transit, bike infrastructure, and other public amenities.

New York Cuts Almost 500 Open School Crossing Guard Jobs
The vacant positions were cut as part of an effort to trim the NYPD’s budget, but intersections near schools are already some of the city’s most dangerous for pedestrians.

Research Indicates the Large Potential Benefits of Parking Cash-Out Laws
‘Free’ employee parking increases driving. Parking cash-out laws reward commuters who use climate-friendly modes, which increases fairness and reduces traffic problems.

Through the Eyes of a Journalist: Megan Kimble Reflects on Covering Food Systems, Zoning Changes, and Highway Projects in the Southwest
Kimble’s interest in topics related to urban planning spawned from research and writing about food systems in the borderlands of Arizona. She then moved to Austin in the midst of the city’s update of its Land Development Code.

The Limitations of ‘Reconnecting Communities’
The Biden administration has pledged to correct the damage imposed on communities by highways and infrastructure, but many projects are only committing to minor improvements, not transformative changes.

Opinion: Downtown D.C. Recovery Requires More Inclusive Planning
To meet its climate goals and revitalize its downtown core, the District must expand its transit and urban amenities to meet the needs of a wider variety of people.

‘The Power of the Kraken:’ Seattle Monorail Ridership Spikes for Hockey Games
Seattle’s new professional hockey team is drawing legions of enthusiastic fans. Around a quarter of them are taking public transit, such as the city’s often-maligned monorail, to games.

California Traffic Camera Bill Clears Committee
The bill, aimed at testing speed cameras in the state to improve traffic safety, will go to the full State Assembly for a vote.

The Best New Complete Streets Policies, Ranked
After a pandemic hiatus, Smart Growth America has resumed creating an annual list of cities that are making the strongest commitments to improving street safety and making roads accessible and comfortable for everyone.

Queensboro Bridge Bike Lane Delayed Again
A project that would give pedestrians their own dedicated path on the crowded bridge has been pushed back to at least the summer of 2024.

National Crash Testing Standards Could Start Including Pedestrian Safety
The NHTSA is proposing new guidance that would, after years of demands from safety advocates, include pedestrian safety assessments in crash test requirements.
Pagination
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions