Transportation
Peter Calthorpe's Stimulus Prescription
In this op-ed, Peter Calthorpe warns against a massive investment to stimulate sprawl as was done after WWII. He notes 3 areas that need smart investment to make the American Dream sustainable: urban transit, environment, and multi-family housing.
Towards A Transit Future
This piece from The Nation looks at the prospect of transit in America, what a renewed nationwide system could accomplish, and what it would take to achieve politically.
Driving On A Beer Buzz
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is working with startup E-Fuel to create gas from their brewing yeast waste.
"Exceptional" Subways to Bring Toronto Up to Speed
Toronto, a land of cheap gas and unclear traffic reduction policies, has a long way to go in improving public transit, according to one architect. But designers are making progress as they make city's new subway stations as enticing as possible.
Opinion: Beware Toll Road Privatization
Author, WSJ columnist and Huffington Post blogger Thomas Frank cautions against the public-private partnerships that are leasing public toll roads, warning that it isn't in the public interest; that they will become affordable only to the wealthy.
Atlanta Beltline Project's Future Unclear
Mixed communication, contested railway lines and the collision of local, state and federal entities has put the future of Atlanta's Beltline greenspace and transit project.
Is The Age of the Robot Car Upon Us?
Brad Templeton, chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, hopes that robot-driven cars will become commonplace on our roads in the next decade or two.
Monitoring the Effects of Bad Driving
In an effort to improve gas mileage, 400 drivers in Denver participated in an experiment that tracked and reported the bad driving habits -- idling, rapid accelerating and braking -- that waste fuel. Faced with the data, driving habits have changed.
New York City Bus Tracking System Delayed
A long-help plan to install GPS-ready bus tracking equipment to New York City buses has been pushed off indefinitely.
Red Light Cameras Rigged
Following similar discoveries of fraud in the U.S., the Italian government has uncovered a scheme to increase local revenues by artificially shortening yellow lights.
Bikes in the World Today
This three-part series from the BBC looks at bicycles in the modern world -- from Paris to Uganda to India.
Vehicle Retirement Program Considered For Stimulus
A program known as ‘cash for clunkers’ is being considered for inclusion in the Senate stimulus package to make the U.S. auto fleet more fuel-efficient and stimulate demand for new, cleaner cars. Will the older vehicles will be scrapped or resold?
Toronto Considers Fast-Tracking Downtown Subway
The city of Toronto is considering a plan to fast-track the construction of a new downtown subway line.
Retiming Streetlights for Bikes
SF Streetsblog looks at cities that have timed traffic lights on busy bike streets to best suit their pace, and argues that Valencia St. in San Francisco is a prime candidate for retiming. (VIDEO)
Hawaii Light Rail to Connect With Airport
The Honolulu City Council has agreed to slightly re-work the route of the region's recently-approved light rail system to connect with Honolulu International Airport -- a move that has angered some residents.
Magnetic Bus Idea To Test In Oregon
Transit officials in Eugene, Oregon, have announced plans to install a test route for a magnet-guided bus technology.
Older Streets Are Safer Streets
Wes Marshall and Norman Garrick, after a study of data from 130,000 car crashes in California, have determined that cities built since since 1950 have more dangerous roads than those built before 1950.
New Commuters Hit the Rails Today in Metro Portland
Portland's new Westside Express Service officially opens today, carrying passengers from Beaverton to Wilsonville. The Oregonian calls it, "a punch of hard-rolling rust-and-grease."
Improving Transit Efficiency The German Way
Traffic is a nightmare in Cali, Colombia, the Latin American country's third-largest city. But a massive redesign is taking place, with German transit efficiency guiding the way.
Inmates Transported on new Phoenix Light Rail
County sheriff’s deputies seek to cut inmate transportation costs by utilizing the Metro Light Rail. Passenger safety concerns have obviously been raised.
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
