Transportation

California's Roads and Highways Remain 'Unspeakably Bad'

In another unsurprising study, California's roads and highways are ranked nearly last, and said to be the worst in urban areas.

November 26, 2009 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

Subway Sociology

Because of the abundance of social interaction and diverse clientele, subways have long been the sites of sociological experiments to understand human behavior.

November 25, 2009 - Slate

DC Metro's Death Toll Rises

The DC Metro has seen nine suicides this year, up from two in each of the last two years.

November 25, 2009 - Washington Examiner

Function Over Geometry

This aerial view of part of Brasilia, Brazil's capital city, shows the paths of where people have crossed highways and literally made the road by walking.

November 25, 2009 - Discovering Urbanism

Can Free Fares Save Public Transit?

With 100 percent subsidies, transit agencies could drop the pretense of being businesses and serve many more people -- or so proponents say. Agencies aren't so sure.

November 24, 2009 - InTransition Magazine

San Antonio Tries Bus Wi-Fi

San Antonio is wrapping up a month-long experiment that has offered free Wi-Fi internet access on some of its buses.

November 24, 2009 - The Houston Chronicle

Front Yards Are For Lawns, Not Cars, City Says

Queens and Brooklyn homeowners may soon be prohibited from converting front yards into parking pads if a set of regulations is approved. The loss of street parking from new curb cuts was cited as a reason, along with aesthetics.

November 23, 2009 - New York Times-N.Y./Region (blog)

Denser Neighborhoods Could Save Bay Area $31 Billion

Walkable, transit-accessible neighborhoods do more than just lower greenhouse gas emissions of their residents - they save them money too, states a new report, "Windfall for All", from the Bay Area's TransForm, a coalition of over 100 non-profits.

November 23, 2009 - Sacramento Business Journal

Harassment and Assault Common on Subway

A group called New Yorkers for Safe Transit has called attention to the continual problem of female subway riders being ogled, groped, flashed, harassed and attacked.

November 23, 2009 - The New York Times

Broad Plan to Reshape San Francisco's Skyline

Planners in San Francisco are proposing a 145-acre "transit center district" that would dramatically reshape the city's skyline.

November 23, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

Chicago's Private Parking Meter Bungle

Chicago's decision to privatize its parking meters seems to be a loss for the city, as new data shows the city could have made much more money in the long term had they maintained operational management.

November 22, 2009 - The New York Times

Alternative Fuels Won't Change the Expense of Driving

One of the conclusions of a new study in the San Francisco Bay Area is that switching to electric and alternative fuel cars won't reduce the burden on households because ownership is the most significant expense. Thus, density is the only way out.

November 20, 2009 - Streetsblog San Francisco

BRT PDQ in DF

Atlantic correspondent Cristine Russell takes a look at Mexico City's quickly-implemented bus rapid transit system.

November 20, 2009 - The Atlantic Monthly

Are Prefabricated Overpasses the Answer?

Writer Sarah Lacey, stuck in hours of traffic in Bangalore, decides that prefabricated highway overpasses are the solution to the world's overcrowded, traffic-choked cities.

November 20, 2009 - The Washington Post

HSR Too Slow? Blame CEQA

The California High Speed Rail Blog says that the biggest obstacle to building HSR in California isn't the cost, but a number of problems with the planning process, especially the California Environmental Quality Act.

November 19, 2009 - California High Speed Rail Blog

Cycling: It's About Individualism?

In this op-ed, Verlyn Klinkenborg posits that cycling, at least on the Stanford campus, is more about asserting one's identity than anything else.

November 19, 2009 - The New York Times

Transit Use is Growing, But Not Where You Think

Transit saw some big ridership increases over the past few years, but maybe not where you'd expect. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the top ten metropolitan areas where transit use has increased the most.

November 19, 2009 - Nate Berg

Buffett and Beyond

This article takes a look at the past and future of rail in America, with an emphasis on one surprise success story.

November 18, 2009 - BBC News

LA, Orange Counties Collide on Freeways

As traffic congestion has worsened, so has the philosophical divide between LA and Orange counties in terms of how to address it.

November 18, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

LA's Newest Rail Meets Skepticism

The Gold Line extension served 75,000 riders for its grand opening, but ridership dropped by over two-thirds for its first weekday operations.

November 18, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

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.