Transportation

The ROI of Hybrids

With gas prices as they are, does it make sense to ditch your SUV and buy a hybrid? Count on the Wall St. Journal to break it down a discussion of your return on investment.

June 5, 2008 - Wall St. Journal

It's Just Like Riding A Bike...Mostly, Kinda

What can leaders of a particularly hilly city do to encourage cycling? Well, they can try making it easier to ride a bike.

June 4, 2008 - Citymayors.com

Can a Tunnel Cure Atlanta's Congestion?

This article from Reason argues that a double-decker traffic tunnel can effectively reduce congestion in Atlanta -- one of the most congested cities in America.

June 4, 2008 - Reason

Pushing New Fuel Taxes In The Era Of $4 Gasoline

As drivers complain about higher gas prices, one California lawmaker is promoting a new 9 cent fee on gasoline to fund public transportation and congestion relief in Los Angeles County.

June 4, 2008 - NPR

More Phoenix Commuters Pedaling

Bicycle commuting is on the rise in metropolitan Phoenix, where bike shops are reporting increasing sales of commuter bikes.

June 4, 2008 - The Arizona Republic

Gas Prices Surge, Transit Ridership Jumps, VMT Drops

As gas prices inch beyond $4 a gallon, transit trips increase by 3.3% for the first quarter of the year and vehicle miles traveled drop 4.3% in March.

June 3, 2008 - The Washington Post

Oil Prices Affecting Asphalt As Well, Creating Opening For Greener Roads

Asphalt is a byproduct of oil production, and so is getting more expensive along with rising oil costs. A $5 million research project is looking for greener solutions.

June 2, 2008 - CNET News

U.S. Rail Network Facing Traffic Woes

Freight trains already face serious traffic on the nation's network of rails. If nothing is done, insiders project disaster in the near future.

June 1, 2008 - Associated Press

Gas Prices Cause High Demand for Transit

Rising gas prices have caused a big increase in transit ridership in Loudoun County, Virginia, where officials are looking to expand their bus fleet and capacity to handle the jump in demand.

May 31, 2008 - The Washington Post

Canadians Also Confused By Traffic Circles

Americans are notoriously bad at navigating European-style traffic circles, but it seems Canadians are also confounded.

May 31, 2008 - The Edmonton Sun

The End of Car Culture?

Transit ridership is spiking across the country as gas prices go up. Is this a tipping point for America's car culture?

May 31, 2008 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Environmental Groups Warm to Trains

Railroads are overcoming decades of resistance from environmentalists by touting their greener aspects.

May 30, 2008 - Wall St. Journal

Columbus Announces $170 Million Bikeways Plan

City commits to adding over 450 miles of new bikeways/lanes linking neighborhoods, parks, downtown, and employment centers over the next 20 years and making an initial investment of $20 million.

May 30, 2008 - The Columbus Dispatch

Politicians Call on Seattle to Think Creatively About Freeway Problem

In this guest column, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and King County Executive Ron Sims argue that Seattle needs to find a creative solution to the problem posed by its aging inner-city freeway.

May 30, 2008 - The Seattle Times

A Laser Light Show in the Crosswalk

Will laser-projected pedestrians make crossing the street safer in South Korea?

May 30, 2008 - Streetsblog

L.A. Called Home to Second Smallest Carbon Footprint

New research from the Brookings Institution claims that Los Angeles has the second smallest carbon footprint of big American cities -- a finding that contains a few caveats.

May 29, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

Will Bay Area Transit Riders Get Wi-Fi?

BART, the region's rail transit agency, is negotiating with a private company to install a wireless network that would allow riders to check email and access the Internet.

May 28, 2008 - PC World

Budapest To Encourage Cycling

Thick congestion has politicians in Budapest looking at ways to improve mobility -- mainly by encouraging bicycle use.

May 28, 2008 - AFP

Creating A Less Treacherous Bike Ride

New York City is trying to make life for bike commuters a little less treacherous by building dedicated bike lanes throughout the city.

May 28, 2008 - The Washington Post

The Failure of Long-Range Metropolitan Transportation Planning

In a policy analysis for the Cato Institute, Randal O'Toole reviews plans for more than 75 of the nation's largest metropolitan areas reveals that virtually all of them fail to follow standard planning methods, and half of them are not effective.

May 27, 2008 - Cato Institute

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.

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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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.