Transportation
Bus Rapid Transit for the Masses
An ambitious BRT plan for Chicago could be a great boon for inner-city folks greatly in need of better ways to get around, says Yonah Freemark.
Would People Drive Less if Cities Were Built Differently?
Dr. Marlon Boarnet, a professor in UC Irvine's Dept. of Planning, Policy and Design, has based his research around that question and has some answers.
Lending Program Could Replace National Infrastructure Bank
Obama supports Boxer's 2-year transportation reauthorization bill over Mica's 6-year bill. However, both bills greatly increase funding for the Transportation Infrastructure and Innovative Finance Act.
Bicycling Towards Recovery
Bike lanes and bike commuters are fueling a significant segment of the economy in Copenhagen. In Portland, a high amount of bike lanes could mean similar economic impacts.
The Boon in British Cycling
A new report from the London School of Economics looks at the “cycling economy” that is taking the United Kingdom by storm and the economic benefits generated by individual cyclists.
Bike Lanes Benefit Drivers
Canadian Urban designer Ken Greenberg and American planner Trent Lethco argue that investing in cycling infrastructure improves driving conditions -- for those times that you really need a car.
Momentum Builds Behind Kansas City Streetcar
Despite major resistance for an extended streetcar line, a shorter, 2-mile downtown light rail is quite popular. Supporters say there is a sense of "urgency" behind the project, which could be built as soon as 2015.
The High Cost of Status Quo Infrastructure
Infrastructure costs are towering in the U.S., but much of that could be because of old habits in road building. This column looks at how cities and states can reduce their infrastructure costs.
Mag-Lev Project Meets Approval in Japan
Japanese officials recently approved plans to build a 320-mile magnetic levitation train system. The $114 billion project is expected to begin construction in 2014.
A Russia-U.S. Tunnel?
Russian officials are pushing a plan to build a tunnel connecting Russian territory to the United States.
TOD Booms in California
Transit oriented development is on the rise in California, with new projects being pushed in conjunction with new rail lines in Southern California and the Bay Area.
Want More Bike Lanes? Would You Pay a Bike Tax?
Blogger Chewie suggests a controversial idea - a tax on bicycle sales and repair to go to creating more bicycle infrastructure.
Take a Ride on Chicago's Elegant Electroliner
Writer J.J. Sedelmaier recalls riding the beautifully streamlined Electroliner trains, which ran on the same tracks as other Chicago rail transit but were a special event all to themselves.
$417 Million To Fund Highway Projects
Last week, the Federal Highway Administration awarded discretionary highway grants in what could be among the last expenditures before the Sept. 30 expiration of the gas tax. Included were $8m for Value Pricing Pilot Program projects in 5 states.
Reversible Lanes Puzzle Drivers
The 10-lane Kennedy Expressway in Chicago is forced to manage significantly more traffic than it was designed to handle. Traffic planners have installed a flexible lane that can increase the flow in one direction, but Chicagoans are baffled by them.
My Future City is Houston?
The BMW Guggenheim Lab has released an online urban planning game called "Urbanology," which asks a serious of questions to determine the type of city you think is the future.
Brookings Compares 'Zero-Vehicle Households' To Those With Vehicles
Not to be confused with zero-emission-vehicles, the Brookings Institution looks primarily at the demographics and access to jobs of what they define as zero-vehicle households. Access to vehicles reveals equity (income) and urban vs. suburban issues.
Learning to Love the Megabus
Private bus companies are gaining in popularity, but Aaron Renn says that a large segment of the "urbanist/sustainability community" despise them for no good reason.
Complete Streets Arrives In Bay Area
Gary Richards, the Roadshow columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, provides many examples of redesigning streets for bikes, peds, and transit throughout the Bay Area, a direct result of the 2008 California Complete Streets legislation.
Texas Infrastructure Under Gov. Perry
Now that Gov. Perry has declared his candidacy for President, the Houston Chronicle has begun a series of articles to spotlight how infrastructure has fared under the state's longest serving governor. Transportation is the focus of the first report.
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.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
