Transportation
New York's Pedestrian Malls: Architects and Planners Weigh In
Six architects, planners, public intellectuals and authors give their differing opinions on Bloomberg's plan to turn Broadway into a pedestrian-only space.
Raise The Gas Tax AND Switch To VMT Fee, Says Commission
The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission advises Congress that the U.S. is in an infrastructure crisis, and that they must raise the gas excise tax by ten cents now and begin the switch to a VMT fee.
Stimulus To Help As Transit Tries To Keep Up
American Public Transportation Association President William Millar visits Living on Earth to discuss how the stimulus will benefit public transit in the U.S. -- and why it's "the best of times and the worst of times."
Better Transportation Needs Better Cities
A new design competition is seeking solutions to L.A.'s transportation problems. But the real solution may not have anything to do with transportation at all.
How to Become an Expert Transit Rider
This commentary from re:place magazine offers tips and insights into how one can ride transit like a pro.
Denver Gets TOD Fund
The City of Denver plans to spend more than $15 million over the next decade to purchase real estate near mass transit.
Midwest Expecting High Speed Rail Windfall From Stimulus
The Midwest has high hopes on capturing a big chunk of the federal stimulus money directed towards high speed rail projects.
Edmonton's $100 Million Bike Plan
Edmonton Alberta is planning to go from a "somewhat bike friendly city to a very bike friendly city." But can it afford it during a recession?
New York City to Reclaim Broadway For Pedestrians
Mayor Bloomberg and Janette Sadik-Khan have unveiled plans to turn a large segment of midtown into a pedestrian-only thoroughfare. The bold move is being applauded by livable street advocates across the United States.
As Gas Prices Drop, VMT Rises
Sightline's Clark Williams-Derry looks at low gas prices, a down economy, and vehicle-miles-traveled, noting that the precipitous declines in VMT have halted, and suspects it may plateau.
Mid-Town Manhattan To Go Car-Free
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced plans to close off parts of Broadway in Manhattan to car traffic. The city will experiment with the closing as early as May, creating a large pedestrian zone near Times Square.
Trucking Industry Prepping for Reauthorization Bill
The American Trucking Associations is preparing to focus their upcoming annual meeting on advocacy, promoting their agenda on the TEA-21 Transportation Reauthorization bill to Congress and the Obama administration.
How to Spend $8 Billion in High-Speed Rail Funds
Transportation reporter Tom Belden of the Philadelphia Daily ponders how and where the $8 billion in stimulus funds allotted to high-speed rail should be spent, referencing a report by the Progressive Policy Institute.
A Better Transit-Oriented Design
Kent Kammerer asserts that by jumping too quickly on a TOD bandwagon that stresses density, local municipalities may leave out elements of social infrastructure and adequate services--the real driving forces behind successful, walkable areas.
Car-Free on Market Street?
San Francisco's Market Street is heavily used by buses, cars, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. Officials are studying the potential effect of restricting cars either partially or completely, to make it "great once again."
Stimulus For Transit, Un-Stimulus For Auto Industry
Funding in the federal stimulus package for high speed rail has been cheered by transit advocates across the country. This opinion piece argues that in addition, funds should be taken away from the auto industry.
Why Bus Rapid Transit Works
This interview with Walter Hook, director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, probes the merits of Bus Rapid Transit versus subways and light rail. The first of four installments.
With Nowhere to Go, Rail Cars Stall and Stay Put
Over a hundred boxcars have sat for about a year in an Indiana hamlet, proving to be the biggest nuisance to those who, live, and play near them. Of no use to railroad companies with nothing to ship, such rail cars now sit idle all over the country.
'Keep Freeways Free' Legislation Introduced
In 2007, the PA legislature passed Act 44 that calls for converting Interstate 80 into a tolled facility. A freshman PA Congressman, continuing in his predecessor's footsteps, introduced a bill to ensure that never occurs.
Wired Says: It's Time for Cities to Favor People, Not Cars
Wired Magazine figures out what the planning world already knows- that there is a need to shift planning policies away from auto-oriented development and towards the pedestrian.
Pagination
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.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello