Transportation

New Study: More Parking=More Driving

A new U of PA study, 'Guaranteed Parking, Guaranteed Driving' compares two NYC neighborhoods, showing decisively that providing off-street parking is a sure way to guarantee more driving.

October 25, 2008 - Transportation Alternatives

Fix America's Infrastructure, Fix the Economy

The next president must commit to fixing our infrastructure, says Dave Demerjian of Wired. Such an investment will create jobs, strengthen our economy and make America more competitive.

October 24, 2008 - Wired.com

A Conversation With NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan

The Open Planning Project's Executive Director Mark Gorton talks with Janette Sadik-Khan about how her agency is redefining public space in New York City.

October 24, 2008 - Streetsblog

Kansas City Pins Light Rail Plans on Sales Tax Hikes

In metropolitan Kansas City, two sales tax initiatives on the ballot in efforts to raise money for the region's long-planned light rail system.

October 24, 2008 - The Kansas City Star

Maryland Bus Services Strained by Overtime Caps

Budget cuts have resulted in new overtime caps imposed on the Maryland Transit Administration, causing delays and even cancellations of some bus runs.

October 23, 2008 - The Baltimore Sun

Improvements to SF's Public Transit System in the Works

San Francisco's Municipal Railway transit system will see incremental but major changes in the next five years.

October 23, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

BART Riders May Pay More to Park

To offset delayed transit funds, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District plans to charge those who drive to BART stations more to park. In some places, commuters will be charged to park for the first time.

October 23, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

'Lifestyle Changes' Needed for High-Speed Rail's Success

Critics of California's proposed high-speed rail system say that big cities are too spread apart for it to work as well as it has in Europe and Asia. Additionally, Californians will have to learn to adapt to density and public transportation.

October 22, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Oil Price Plunge Dampens Green Technology

The new 'oil shock' is one of plummeting oil prices and its effect on alternative technologies and energy. Combined with the credit crisis, the fallout in some green technologies is shown by difficulties in attracting capital and customers.

October 22, 2008 - The Washington Post

Bike Programs Cut Cars on Campuses

Universities are looking to cut down on the number of cars students bring with them to school by offering free bikes and bike sharing programs.

October 22, 2008 - The New York Times

Traffic-Fighting Proposition Falls Short

According to Neal Payton, Santa Monica's Proposition T, intended to cut traffic growth, is useless.

October 21, 2008 - Streetsblog

Phoenix Hopes for Light Rail Revitalization

Phoenix is counting on a new light rail system to revive one of the city's long-ignored commercial corridors when trains start operation at the end of the year.

October 21, 2008 - The Arizona Republic

The Dreaded 'Empty-Lane Syndrome'

As a new 2.7 mile dedicated bus lane opens in Austin, transportation planner Ralph Trapani of Parsons Transportation Group says to watch for 'empty-lane syndrome': the tendency of drivers to use open lanes illegally when in bad traffic.

October 21, 2008 - Aspen Daily News

NIMBY Couple Fights Bus Route

This column looks at the NIMBY-minded attitude of one couple that has been fighting to prevent a bus line from coming into their neighborhood.

October 21, 2008 - The Toronto Star

California's $10 Billion High Speed Gamble

Sacramento Bee columnist Daniel Weintraub evaluates the pros and cons of California's $10 billion High Speed Rail Proposition 1A. With state revenues are already expected to be over $10 billion short than projected, he thinks it is a risky measure.

October 21, 2008 - The Sacramento Bee

Road Closures, Pedestrianization Key to Successful Urbanization

Chris Turner looks at successful car-free pedestrianization and bicycle planning in Copenhagen and Melbourne and wonders why Canada's sprawling, frigid cities can't adopt these ideas as well.

October 20, 2008 - Globe & Mail

Amtrak Reauthorization & Safety Bill Signed

Two weeks after Congress passed HR 2095, Bush signed this bill to double Amtrak funding and mandate safety technology to prevent Metrolink-like crashes. It may be a precursor to greatly expanded transit spending in the next administration.

October 19, 2008 - Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin

Tesla Laying Off Employees and Delaying All-Electric Sedan

Electric car start-up in Silicon Valley said Wednesday that it would lay off employees and delay production of its second car, the Model S, until 2011.

October 18, 2008 - The New York Times

HOT & Green Proposal For Illinois Tollway

What do you get when you designate a carpool lane on a toll road for hybrids and carpoolers? A 'green' lane, say Illinois planners. However, they still pay the toll. Now add a "HOT lane overlay" to it - solo drivers can use it for a 'premium'.

October 17, 2008 - Chicago Sun-Times

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.