Transportation
St. Louis Streetcar Built For "Economic Development Goals" More Than Mobility
Yonah Freemark looks at the plan for a new streetcar line on St. Louis' Loop, and concludes that the project is a valuable addition to the city more for the economic boost it will bring than the increased mobility it will bring.
New York's Best Peforming Trains
The Times chose to investigate claims by transit agencies of high, on-time performance of LIRR, Metro-North, and NJ Transit by doing their own analysis and found major discrepancies. The article also indicates the infrastructure problems responsible.
The Most Dangerous Road in Georgia
Blueprint America reports from suburban Atlanta, where getting to the other side of the road is nothing to take for granted.
Performance Parking
In this radio interview, KQED-FM reporter Kitty Felde interviews UCLA professor and parking guru Don Shoup on what he now calls "performance parking", a form of smart parking that includes congestion pricing used in D.C., SF, and soon LA.
Bike Advocacy Rule #1: Show Up!
Bike Blogger Richard Masoner offers some tips on how to successfully advocate for effective bicycle facilities, covering the gamut from bike parking to placement of bike sharrows.
One Snapped Cable Fells Entire Transit System
In Melbourne, Australia, a frayed power line gave way today at Southern Cross Station. The resulting domino effect took out most of the city's transit system during the heavy morning commute.
High Speed Rail Puts Hurt on Freight
The emphasis on high speed rial in the U.S. overlooks the potential harm it could cause to the nation's powerful freight rail system, according to this piece from The Economist.
High Speed Rail Jobs: Many Temporary, Few Permanent
The planned high speed rail connection between Victorville, California and Las Vegas is expected to create 50,000 temporary jobs. Only 700 will become permanent.
Bad Behavior While Driving is Actually Predictable
New research on the supposedly irrational patterns of behavior by drivers shows that bad driving decisions are predictable.
BRT On the Way to Jordan
A new bus rapid transit project has begun construction in Amman, Jordan -- a first for the country.
San Juan to Ban Cars, Make "Walkable City"
The oldest city in the Americas bans cars from its colonial streets and outlines a plan to make San Juan more livable. David Soto gives us a look at this ambitious plan.
The Island of EVs
Hawaii is an ideal test case for creating an electric car infrastructure because fuel costs are very high and distances are manageable. Charging stations are going up all over the islands with a goal of making it easy to envision driving an EV.
London's Suburbs Attempt to Assert Their Independence
"London's councils seem set on continuing the imbalance between the city center and outer suburbs, where the former supplies most of the jobs, and the latter most of the residents." Joe Peach reports on economic potential of suburban independence.
Bus Advocates Argue Rail Focused Planning Reduces Overall Transit Ridership in L.A.
Dan Weikel of the L.A. Times suggests that the focus on rail transit at the expense of buses has pushed general transit ridership down in general.
Visions of 2030: Bikes, BRT and Other Stuff We Have Now
A review of the Our Cities Ourselves at the Center for Architecture in New York, which features ten proposals to create better cities by 2030.
London Mayor "Militant About Cycling"
In an interview with the Guardian, Mayor Boris Johnson touted new plans for bicycle superhighways stretching throughout London.
Cities Adjusted to Attract the Elderly
America is aging. 'By 2030, nearly 1 in 5 Americans will be 65 or older.' This aging population has significant clout. Nearly one third of the population is over 50, and they control half the country's discretionary spending.
Cars, Culture & New York City
That's the title of an exhibit currently at The Museum of the City of New York, which shows how the auto dominated many aspects of city life. There are also showings of current "Streetfilms" by 'Livable Streets' showing how to undo it.
How Accurate Are California's HSR Ridership Figures?
When she read over the ridership estimates behind California's HSR plans, Elizabeth Alexis was expecting to have "obscure arguments over the standard deviations," but instead found glaringly obvious "math" mistakes.
More Than Just Air at the Airport
Airports are becoming more than airports, with an increasing number expanding their services to being multimodal transit hubs.
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
