Transportation
Transit Ridership Creates New Problem -- Clogged Parking Lots
Maryland's transit parking lots are overflowing into nearby neighborhoods, as buses, park-and-rides, and even their long-derided light rail, fill up.
Will Free Rides Make Firm Believers In Transit?
Transit agencies around the U.S. offered free rides on a single day, and large crowds follow. But observers aren't sure they'll stick around when they have to pay again.
The Rebirth of the Electric Car
In a bold move likened in this article to the Apollo program, General Motors is throwing everything it has into the development of the Volt, a revolutionary plug-in electric hybrid.
Would Starbucks and Designer Interiors Get You to Ride Transit?
Toronto's Metrolink brings together city and transportation planners to brainstorm the transit of the future.
Paris Plans Green Car Sharing System
Following on the success of its bike-sharing system, Paris is planning to unveil a citywide green car-sharing system.
Freeway Expansion Leads to Increased Traffic
A year after a new freeway was completed in Southern California, traffic data shows increased use. Officials plan to widen the freeway to handle the increased load.
Despite Streetcar Skeleton, Chicago Leans Towards BRT
Transit officials in Chicago are calling on the city to rebuild its historic streetcar system. Rails still exist on many streets, but city officials are leaning away from streetcars and towards bus rapid transit.
One Blight Down, One To Go
In this op-ed piece, Kevin C. Phelan and Yanni Tsipis argue that Boston's 'Big Dig' has only fought half the battle, calling for a more proactive approach to building over the city's other auto sewer, the Massachusetts Turnpike.
New Orleans Streets Updated
This story from NPR looks at a new bike lane in New Orleans, and other efforts the city is taking to update its street infrastructure.
Traffic Signs Driving Us to Distraction
Traffic signs on American roadways are so numerous and so distracting to drivers that they are having the opposite effect intended, writes John Staddon.
Hate Your Long-Distance Commute? Then Move
A recent L.A. Times series suggests that we should build more Southern California freeways for long-distance commuters, and prevent additional job development in employment-heavy areas. Bill Fulton suggests a different approach.
Scooting in a City Built for Cars
Rising gas prices and thickening traffic congestion make small, fuel-efficient scooters seem like a great way to get around. But on roads built mainly for speeding cars, scooting can be scary. Occasional scooter-rider Pam Diaz argues it shouldn't be.
Of Cyclepaths and Psychopaths
Cyclists Bill Reynolds muses on the freedom offered by the bicycle -- and the tragic tendency for cyclists to fall victim to automobiles.
New Cruise Ship Will Have Its Own 'Central Park'
Royal Caribbean is building the world's largest cruise ship, which will be a city in its own right with seven different neighborhoods and a central public space/urban park.
Learning from Arlington
Columnist Roger K. Lewis reflects on Arlington's Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and what other cities can learn from their success.
Houston Thinks About Changing Lifestyles to Fight Congestion
This segment from NPR features a discussion with Houston Mayor Bill White about the city's increasing congestion, the limits of zoning, and the population's reaction to rising gas prices.
St. Charles Streetcar Clangs Back to Life
The streetcar returns to New Orleans' St. Charles Ave., a step forward in the long struggle to get the city's transit back on it's feet after Katrina.
Optical Illusion Speed Bumps Tested in Philadelphia
Optical illusions painted on the streets of Philadelphia are being tested out as a method for getting drivers to slow down.
Jaime Lerner's Ideas Go Global
Metropolis Magazine talks with bus rapid transit pioneer Jaime Lerner about the gradual global spread of his successful ideas from Curitiba.
Friday Funny: Buy An SUV, Get the Illusion of Low Gas Prices
Chrysler's "Let's Refuel America" campaign promises to subsidize your gas as if you were paying $2.99 a gallon if you buy one of their large vehicles. Cartoonist Ruben Bolling spoofs the thinking behind the program in this cartoon.
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
