Transportation
A Small Nebraska Town Responds to Being Bypassed
Like many other towns, Hooper, Nebraska (pop. 827) started to die when a bypass was built around it. To bring folks back to the town's core, residents and business people of Hooper came together to remind the world of Hooper's existence.
Slow Going for Light Rail in Dallas
A new 28-mile expansion makes the city's system is the largest in the nation, but is it actually changing travel habits? Yonah Freemark investigates.
Britons Move Towards A New Era of "Civilized Street Design"
Designers and "movement specialists" in Great Britain are pioneering various street designs that aim to bring traffic speeds down to teens, which they claim is the speed range that allows vehicles to safely share a space with pedestrians.
Walkable Cities, Walkable Neighborhoods
New neighborhood-level data from the walkability rating website Walk Score has broadened the view of what it means to live in a walkable city.
More Failed Rail in New Zealand?
Owen McShane argues the newly consolidated Auckland Region government is turning to rail transit initiatives without any evidence that such projects actually work.
Suburb To City: No More Congestion Pricing, Please
San Mateo County officials have a bone to pick with their bigger neighbor (in population, not area) to the north, San Francisco: don't charge us to drive there. Unlike drivers from East and North Bay counties, no bridge tolls separate the counties.
Ridership Predictions Lowered, But Subway Plans Move Ahead
Despite predictions of ridership that are lower than previously thought, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is still pushing ahead with plans to build a subway line in the center of the city.
7 Reasons Why Big Cities Matter
Writing for City Journal, Mario Polese argues that big cities are more important than ever, and backs up his argument with seven reasons they're luring people, from economies of scale to falling transportation and communication costs.
New Toronto Mayor Kills Transit Dreams
The newly installed mayor of Toronto has swiftly abandoned an $8.1 billion mass transit plan for the city.
Renewable Energy A'Plenty On New Ellis Island Ferry
Billed as the world's first hybrid ferry, the new ships will run on a combination of wind, solar and hydrogen power (and diesel in a pinch). Service begins in April 2011.
Dark Clouds Over L.A.'s Light Rail
Los Angeles is in the midst of expanding its light rail system. But a new idea to speed up the process has backfired and caused delays and major increases in estimated costs.
Bicyclists Outpace Cars in Downtown, Says New Study
A new study of how people are using the French bikesharing system in Lyon provides ample data for American planners hoping implementing similar systems, and reveals that bicycles are faster and more effective than cars in dowtown commutes.
Mass Transit on Track in Tehran
Over the past 30 years, the overgrown Iranian capital has arrived at unhealthy levels of air pollution and traffic congestion, but with the installation of a metro, BRT system, and bike rental program seems to be heading in a new direction.
'Urbanism Is the Most Cost-Effective Solution to Climate Change,' says Calthorpe
Phil Langdon reviews Peter Calthorpe's latest, called 'Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change'. Langdon says it is "a densely packed, yet concise overview of the troubling situation we all find ourselves in."
Can Portland Become a World-Class Cycling City?
Jay Walljasper writing in Yes! Magazine, reports on all the innovations that make Portland the premier cycling city in the U.S.
Footing the Bill for the Cancelled ARC Project
And the tab is substantial: $271 million. NJ Gov. Christie, who killed the trans-Hudson, $9 billion rail tunnel for financial reasons, is now left owing funds for work completed that his state would not be liable for had he not canceled the project.
Building Bike Lanes to Lure the Creative Class
As the debate over new bike lanes pits New Yorkers against each other, people should refocus on the economic benefits the lanes can provide, argues Richard Florida.
Wasted Oil, By Design
This episode of public radio program 99% Invisible looks at oil, and how the way people move from work to home has been seemingly designed to waste fuel.
D.C. Takes Long-Range Transit Planning Online
Washington D.C.'s Metro is expecting a major increase in ridership over the next 30 years. To try to meet that demand, they're recruiting ideas from the public with a new outreach effort.
Would People Obey Speed Limits If They Were - Fun?
Kevin Richardson came up with a fanciful idea for rewarding good drivers while punishing bad ones: speed cameras could ticket speeders, the money would go into a pot, and good drivers would be selected randomly by the camera to win big money.
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
