Transportation

Clean-Fuel Zone Widened Per Navy's Request

Known for its puritanical environmental laws, California's shipping pollution standards just got tougher. The California Air Resource Board voted unanimously to expand the 2009 clean-fuel zone, which mandates ships to use less-polluting fuels.

June 27, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times

Beyond Safety in Numbers: Why Bike Friendly Cities are Safer

Studies often show that bicyclists find "safety in numbers." Norman Garrick and Wes Marshall explain that the street design strategies that attract bike riders are the same ones that improve road safety for all road users.

June 27, 2011 - Norman W. Garrick

Transportation Reauthorization Bill Coming in July

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is set to introduce a $97 billion, two-year transportation bill after the July 4 recess. The bill will add another $12 billion to the deficit.

June 27, 2011 - The Journal of Commerce Online

European Cities are Driven to Become "Walkers' Paradises"

If you can't fix the players then by all means fix the game. This appears to be the strategy that many European cities, including Zurich, have employed to reduce the use of single-occupancy vehicles.

June 27, 2011 - The New York Times

New Research: Do Americans Really Oppose Increasing The Gas Tax?

Politicians say it all the time - "Americans will never stand for a gas tax increase", but how do they know? A survey of 1,500 adults under the direction of Mineta Transportation Institute found otherwise. A VMT fee and sales tax was also surveyed.

June 26, 2011 - Mineta Transportation Institute

Basra to Baghdad in 2 Hours

A preliminary deal has been signed to construct a high-speed rail linking Baghdad to a southeastern city Basra.

June 26, 2011 - BBC News

In D.C., Bike Sharing Is A Hit

Channeling the Vélib bicycle rental system in Paris, the Capital Bikeshare program proves to be an unprecedented success in the States. Cities like Denver, Minneapolis, and NYC are starting to emulate.

June 25, 2011 - The Infrastructurist

City of the Future: Two Legs Good, Four Wheels Bad

Once dubbed the "lungs of the city," highways are becoming perhaps less essential. From Seattle to Seoul, pedestrianization is gaining traction on both the domestic and international fronts.

June 24, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

Small Cities and Transit-Dedicated Streets

It is commonly accepted that most U.S. cities couldn't support transit-only streets. But Wellington, New Zealand is a model any U.S. city could follow, writes Jarrett Walker.

June 24, 2011 - Tim Halbur

Will Congestion Pricing Backfire in the U.S.?

The U.S. Department of Transportation in 2007 selected five cities it thought could effectively implement congestion pricing, but none have come to fruition. What's holding back congestion pricing in the U.S.?

June 24, 2011 - Next American City

Japan Moves Forward With Maglev Train

Tsunami, earthquakes, and nuclear radiation in the past, Japan proceeds to build a magnetic train that defies Newton's laws of physics.

June 24, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

U.S. Bicycle Master Plan Undergoes a Renaissance

Rendered obsolete in the 1980's, Secretary of Transportation LaHood makes a commitment to bring back a national network of bike routes.

June 23, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

Yacht Race to Bring New Cruise Terminal to San Francisco

As San Francisco prepares to host the America's Cup yacht race in 2013, one of the key building areas for the event is also being fast-tracked as the site of a new cruise terminal.

June 23, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

China's Superhighway on Kenyan Soil

Three Chinese companies are building a 31-mile highway to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. It's a move locals see as an effort to gain favor with the Kenyan government.

June 23, 2011 - NPR

'The Johnny Appleseed of Walk-able Communities'

Walkability guru Dan Burden's long-preached message of pedestrian-focused planning is increasingly becoming policy in cities across the country.

June 22, 2011 - The Washington Post

The Top 10 Cities Leading the Way on Climate Change

Predictable cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland are in the Top 10, but cities like San Diego and San Jose also hold prominent spots on the list.

June 22, 2011 - Triple Pundit

A Neighborhood of Stairs

The La Independencia neighborhood in Medellin, Colombia sprawls up a hillside, leaving the inhabitants to walk up to 10 flights of stairs every day. An ambitious development program is considering building an outdoor network of escalators.

June 22, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Seattle Considers Car Fee to Fund Transit

Facing $60 million in deficits over the next year, transportation officials in metropolitan Seattle are pushing a plan to ask voters to approve an increase in the price of registering cars in the area to create a transportation fund.

June 22, 2011 - The Seattle Times

Londoners Expect Olympics to Bring Transportation Legacy

A new survey of Londoners shows that improved transportation is seen as the most likely long-term benefit from hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics.

June 22, 2011 - Rail.co

Which is Greener: Urban Farms or Urban Density?

Edward Glaeser adds "large-scale metropolitan farming" to a list -- which also includes historic preservation -- of barriers to densifying urban development patterns. His argument is that the latter is the greener of the two.

June 21, 2011 - Boston Globe

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.