United States

Americans Shifting Away From the Auto, Maybe
The auto may no longer be "the quintessential symbol of American mobility, status and independence," opines Robert J. Samuelson for The Washington Post, as the latest demographic and auto ownership data point to a change in American mobility.
Meet the Roving Robot Parking Attendant
They're not as cute as R2D2, but they have better intentions than a Cylon. Welcome our new robot parking attendants.

Suburbs Are Failing the Elderly
Around two-thirds of Baby Boomers in metropolitan areas live in the suburbs. But as they age, suburbia seems less and less hospitable.

Op-Ed: We Shouldn't Rush to Regulate Airbnb
Is Airbnb a prime target for regulation, or is it just another way to expand the marketplace for bedrooms? Dan Bertolet urges caution. After all, couldn't less Airbnb just mean more hotels?

Yards Getting Smaller as Homes Get Bigger
Americans have shown a clear preference for larger homes—even at the expense of the coveted backyard.

Tiny Houses Aren't the Solution
Vox publishes an article debunking tiny houses as the housing silver bullet some hope they will become.

Will First Fatality Affect the Development of Self-Driving Cars?
A May 7 crash of a Model S Tesla in Florida may have outsized implications for the future of driverless technology. The details of the single-fatality crash were made public in a June 30 blog by Tesla though they were reported immediately to NHTSA.

How Some Cities Stay Little
Some cities that want to grow are stuck in the small town zone, while others growing cities would prefer to stay small.

Thank Climate Change and Sprawl for Worsening Wildfires
Along with climate conditions, urban sprawl is intensifying wildfires and increasing the damage they do.

Reexamining the Origins of Zoning
According to Seymour Toll's 1969 book, New York City's 1916 zoning code was less a civic-minded project than an attempt to protect elite retail districts from the riff-raff. The ramifications for American zoning at large are significant.

The Park-and-Ride Boondoggle
Streetsblog USA shares insights into a new study published by the Transportation Research Board finding that most park-and-ride facilities built by transit agencies waste money and land.

The Real Reasons Affordable Housing Isn't Being Built in California
The policy tools used to address our nation's housing shortfall often seem to worsen the problem. But this is because they ignore the underlying infrastructure and financing to support growth.

2015 Road Toll: 35,200 Fatalities
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released preliminary fatality estimates for 2015. Deaths jumped by 2,525, an increase of 7.7 percent over 2014. Pedestrians and bicyclists saw the biggest increases.

Zoning as a Tool of Social and Economic Inequality
The New York Times devotes significant ink to an argument against the use of zoning laws as tools of anti-growth politics.

New Data on the Shift to Cities
It's no secret that urban centers are doing better today than they were 30 years ago. New FHFA data on housing prices confirms the trend and suggests that a changing environment (as opposed to changing preferences) account for it.

Toward an Equitable Bikeshare System
The Better Bike Share Conference convened in Philadelphia on June 22-24, 2016. Attendees gathered to find solutions for challenges of equity, social justice, and mobility in the country's emerging bikeshare infrastructure.

The Biggest Stories from Five Years of Independence Days
Here's what the Planetizen audience was reading on the July 4ths of yesteryear.
Connecticut Among States Competing for Federal Grants to Study Mileage Fees
Connecticut state legislators may not like vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) fees, but that hasn't stopped the state Department of Transportation from joining other states in applying for $2.1 million from the U.S. DOT to study the road user fee.

National Initiative to Address Structural Racism in Cities
Five U.S. cities will examine how their government operations impact people of color, and come up with solutions to advance racial equity.

Friday Funny: An Old Meme Scores Points Against New Transportation Tech
You remember the one showing the amount of space occupied by 60 people on a bike, 60 people on a bus, and 60 people in cars? It's also helpful for making a convenient point about Uber and self-driving cars.
Pagination
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Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont