Virginia
Congestion Pricing on Legacy Roadways
What happens when there is no room to widen a congested roadway? One solution is to build above the roadway. Another, suggests an HNTB expert, would be to convert an existing lane into a managed toll lane and fund transit with the revenue.
The New Transit User Fee: Real Estate Rent
Driven by a need to meet growing costs amid unstable federal subsidies, metropolitan transit agencies are eying their properties, particularly parking lots, as money makers from new residential and commercial development.
D.C.'s New Metro Line Already Influencing the Suburbs
The Silver Line opened two and a half months ago. Already, with strong ridership in both directions, some businesses are seeing new opportunities.
Bike Master Plan, Complete Streets Design Guidelines for Alexandria, Virginia
The city of Alexandria, Virginia will this month begin an update of its Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan while also developing Complete Streets Design Guidelines.
On the Virginia Outpost of the Harlem Renaissance
Henry Louis Gates Jr. of Harvard University and The Root tells of the Virginia outpost that helped inspire the artists of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
How One City Cultivates its Bike Culture
As a case study of bike culture, in which riding bikes is a normal and respected decision, Jeremy Holmes studies the example provided by Roanoke, Virginia.
Plans for a 550-Mile 'Atlantic Coast Pipeline' Announced
A trio of natural gas providers is planning to build a 550-mile pipeline from West Virginia to North Carolina. The companies are hoping to secure approval for the project from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by 2016.
The Danger of Federal Money for Local Projects
Scott Beyer provides four reasons why federal money is the wrong policy mechanism for delivering the best possible transportation outcomes in the United States.
The Sunny Places that Prohibit Solar Power
An examination of the challenges facing the solar industry in Southeastern states, like Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida, where utilities and governments have largely blocked residents and businesses from tapping their solar resources.
Commuter Rail Station in Virginia Central to 'Transit-Oriented Sprawl' Plans
Among proposed examples of new urbanist communities, Greater Greater Washington calls out one, located along Prince William's Potomac riverfront, as particularly experimental, sprawling, and centered on a Virginia Railway Express station.
Lukewarm Architectural Review for New Silver Line Stations
Although the D.C. Metro's new Silver Line stations in Northern Virginia are designed for functional rather than high aesthetic ideals, Philip Kennicott's review for the Washington Post focuses on the benefit of the line to the region.
Crosswalks Not Included for New Silver Line Stations in Tysons Corner
The Silver Line's intended impact on Tysons Corner in Virginia has been described as the "Great Suburban Retrofit." It looks like the retrofit will have to start with crosswalks near the line's new stations.
Mapping the Happiest Places in the United States (Disneyland Not Included)
Researchers from Harvard and the University of British Columbia used "self-reported life satisfaction data" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to locate the cities and regions where Americans are most happy (or unhappy).
D.C. Metro's Silver Line Launches Passenger Service
After no small amount of debate, delay, and controversy, the first phase of D.C. Metro's Silver Line will launch passenger service today. The line will connect Washington D.C. to northwestern Virginia, including four stops in Tysons Corner.
Virginia Takes First Tentative Steps toward Climate Change Adaptation
A combination of environmental factors exposes Virginia’s coastal dwellers to some of the nation’s most severe climate change-related hazards, yet the state has almost zero plans for adaptation. Could that be about to change?
The Suburb of the Future: Arlington, Virginia
The successes of Arlington, Virginia as a suburb have been discussed by planners and urbanists before, but the model has taken on new meaning as the current urban boom send ripple effect out into nearby suburbs like Long Island and Palo Alto.
Parking Garage—Site of the Nixon Administration's Demise—Scheduled for Demolition
Reuters reports that the famous location where an FBI informant known as "Deep Throat" met with Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward during the Watergate scandal will soon be replaced with a new mixed-use development.
Riding D.C. Metro's Silver Line: the Great Suburban Retrofit
CityLab provides an in-depth analysis of the planning efforts surrounding the D.C. Metro's forthcoming Silver Line in Tysons Corner, Virginia. At stake, according to the article: "the future of the American suburb as we know it."
Algonquin Site and Capital City for Powhatan Considered as National Park
Algonquian political leader Powhatan called Werowocomoco home when the English arrived at Jamestown in 1607. If a proposal by the Obama Administration is successful, the site will open to the public, managed by the National Park Service.
In Search of the Right Fit for Bus Stops on Virginia's Columbia Pike
A controversy over the "million-dollar bus stop" in Arlington prompted one writer to examine the size and scale of bus stops. It's a cost consideration that can determine the choice, in some cases, between bus rapid transit and streetcars.
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority