Transportation

Pneumatic Tube Trains and AVs to the Rescue? Smarter Planning for New Mobility
New mobility modes and services have tantalizing potential, but they can also impose significant costs and risks. We need objective and comprehensive analysis to determine how—and how not—to incorporate these new technologies.

Battle Over San Francisco's Pedestrianized 'Great Highway'
Although the project has been hugely successful with local residents, the mayor and some county supervisors wanted to revert the road to vehicle use.

Calculating Bus Stop Spacing for 43 U.S. Cities
New research documents the distance between bus stops in U.S. cities—a key question for service designers that determines a lot about the public transit user experience.

Vote for 'America's Most Toxic Car Commercial'
From the same website that brought us the "Parking Crater Award" and the "Sorriest Bus Stops in America."

How Data and Tech Can Support Transit Planning
Agencies can use data resources to improve their decision-making and provide more responsive service.

St. Paul Does Away With Minimum Parking Requirements
The city is one of the first in the nation to completely eliminate parking mandates citywide.

Environmental Assessment for Manhattan Congestion Pricing Scheduled Until December 2022
An idea approved in 2019 which spent the last two years stuck in Trump and Covid limbo, will only now begin a slow march toward final approval.

Revised Amtrak Mandate Could Allow for 'Paradigm-Shifting' Changes
Language in the new infrastructure bill calls for the agency to prioritize ridership and service levels over profitability.

Atlanta Business Group Unhappy With City's Inaction on Transportation Projects
The Midtown Alliance is urging the city to give more control to community improvement districts to speed up procurement or risk losing out on federal funding.

Op-Ed: Instead of a New VMT Tax, Raise the Gas Tax
Implementing a tax based on miles traveled could disincentivize purchasing more efficient cars and would do little to improve road safety, one columnist argues.

To Regain Transit Ridership, Policymakers Must Address Land Use and Housing
More buses and trains alone won't bring back riders; other incentives are needed to boost ridership and encourage new users.

Proposed Colorado Rule Calls for Mitigating Climate Effects of Road Projects
State and local agencies would be tasked with evaluating and offsetting the carbon emissions caused by new transportation projects.

Study: Bike Lanes Don't Cause Displacement
A longitudinal study shows that bike facilities don't precede neighborhood change or displacement of residents.

Ranking the Top 15-Minute Cities of the United States
The rankings in a recent report are about the potential of U.S. cities to become more like the 15-minute city model provided by Paris.

NRDC Releases 'Bus Priority Toolkit'
The kit, designed in collaboration with five U.S. cities, aims to provide lessons and tools for building a compelling case for bus priority and identifying measurable benefits.

How Cuomo's Resignation Affects Transit Projects
With the governor stepping down, the state's transit agencies have an opportunity to reevaluate controversial projects and shift their priorities.

TxDOT Moving Forward With Plan to Widen I-35 in Austin
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) wants to spend $4.6 billion to expand Interstate 35 in Austin despite alternative plans proposed by local groups.

D.C. Has Concerns About Parking and the Cost of Maglev Proposal
Washington, D.C. officials are urging modifications to key components of a proposal to build a maglev system between D.C. and Baltimore, citing disruptions to neighborhoods and cost concerns.

What’s the Fairest Way to Deploy Electric Buses? Ask This Open-Source Map
While the deployment of electric buses can help mitigate the air quality impacts of public transportation, transit authorities often face budgeting constraints that center cost reduction rather than equity—until now.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Heads to the House: Details and Reactions From the Planning World
Planetizen gathered explainer posts and advocacy responses that continue to shine a light on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, approved by the U.S. Senate earlier this month.
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
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Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service