Transportation

Washington State Electric Car Infrastructure

A Green Governor Vetoes Electric Vehicle Legislation

Washington Gov. Jay Insee distinguished himself in the 2020 presidential Democratic primary as the "climate candidate," yet he vetoed a section of a transportation electrification bill that set a goal of ending sales of gas-powered cars by 2030.

May 19, 2021 - Electrek

Memphis, Tennessee

Crack in Bridge Connecting Arkansas to Tennessee Comes With Consequences, Debate

Goods movement on the Mississippi River, as well as truck traffic on a key interstate, has ground to a halt after a crack was discovered last week in a bridge on Interstate 40 connecting to Memphis.

May 19, 2021 - Associated Press via NBC News

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis Eliminates Parking Requirements Citywide

Minneapolis joins the avant garde of cities implementing a dramatic overhaul of the parking requirement status quo that has been a primary determinant of the form and function of cities for nearly a century.

May 19, 2021 - Star Tribune

Chicago Bikeshare

Study: When Women Ride Bikes, Everyone Rides More

New research indicates a positive association between overall cycling levels and ridership rates for women-identified riders.

May 19, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Chicago Bikers

Chicago to Install More Protected Bike Lanes

Chicago's transportation commissioner says the city's transportation department is exploring options for keeping cars out of bike lanes, such as raised curbs.

May 19, 2021 - Chicago Sun-Times

Federal Transit Administration

How Much Will Buttigieg Change Federal Transportation Policy?

The USDOT secretary is making big promises, but an entrenched system makes it difficult to implement long-lasting, systemic change.

May 19, 2021 - Governing

Downtown Seattle

I-5 Widening Kicks Off in Downtown Seattle

Congestion relief is promised as the Washington Department of Transportation begins to rework the existing I-5 roadway in Downtown Seattle to mitigate a stretch of freeway with a reputation as the state's worst bottleneck.

May 18, 2021 - The Seattle Times

Not One More Girl campaign graphic

Teen-Led BART Campaign Brings Attention to Sexual Harassment on Transit

The Not One More Girl initiative seeks to implement tangible changes to improve the safety of young people on public transit.

May 18, 2021 - Teen Vogue

New York City Bus

Plans to Speed Up Buses Slowed as the City Gets Set to Reopen

An ambitious plan hatched during the pandemic in New York City would have copied the success of the 14th Street Busway. The city has slowly retreated from the plan's original scope since the announcement of the plan in June 2020.

May 18, 2021 - The City

New York Subway Coronvairus

Return to Normal: New York City Resumes Overnight Subway Service

The COVID-19 pandemic stole some of the incredible benefits of living in New York City, but as of this morning, the overnight service that so many in the nation's largest city rely on is back.

May 17, 2021 - Spectrum News 1

Coronavirus

Will CDC's Revised Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People Prolong the Pandemic?

The CDC abruptly changed its masking guidance on May 13 to further distinguish behavior for those who are fully vaccinated from those who are not, prompting states, counties and businesses to end indoor mask mandates and social distancing.

May 17, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

 Interstate 710 in East Los Angeles, California.

Caltrans Chief Wants an 'Absolute Pause' on 710 Freeway Expansion

Communities along the corridor have fought expansion for decades, citing air quality and displacement concerns. Now, the agency says it's time to rethink the project.

May 16, 2021 - LA Streetsblog

Car Culture

If You Build It, Cars Will Come: the Common-Sense Logic of 'Induced Demand'

Highway expansion has been shown, time and again, to increase traffic and congestion. Cities are finally getting the message.

May 14, 2021 - Governing

Downtown St. Paul

Parking Reforms Under Consideration in St. Paul

Two options for significant parking reforms are under consideration in St. Paul. The City Council could decide to eliminate parking requirements entirely as soon as this summer.

May 13, 2021 - Pioneer Press

Highway Widening

Maryland's Controversial Highway Widening Proposal Scaled Back

Interstate 270, the Capital Beltway, will no longer by widened as part of the I-495/I-270 Managed Lanes Project.

May 13, 2021 - Bethesda Magazine

TTC Subway

Toronto Subway Plan Gains Federal Backing

A key piece of the funding required to achieve Ontario Premier Doug Ford's vision for an expanded subway system in Greater Toronto Area clicked into place this week.

May 13, 2021 - The Star

D-Link Bus

The Future of Transportation: Well-Funded Buses (Not Self-Driving Cars)

While autonomous vehicles still face regulatory and technical challenges, investment in basic transportation infrastructure like buses and bike lanes can go a long way toward improving safety and taking cars off the road.

May 12, 2021 - The New Republic

I-5 Bridge

Opinion: Columbia River Crossing Just Another Highway Expansion

Billed as a "bridge replacement," the latest iteration of the Columbia River Crossing project is a costly expansion that will impose new tolls and cost upwards of $5 billion, according to an article by Joe Cortright.

May 12, 2021 - City Observatory City Commentary

Atlanta Downtown Connector

Atlanta Adding Multi-Modal Options to Bridge its Downtown Freeway

After reconfiguring the 14th Street Bridge, which crosses the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85) in Atlanta, the Midtown Alliance and the city have their sights set on similar multi-modal improvements for the 10th Street Bridge.

May 12, 2021 - SaportaReport

Bus Stop

Cities Improving Community Engagement By Paying for It

Rochester, MN, joins the ranks of cities realizing that community input is worth paying for.

May 11, 2021 - Next City

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

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.