Transportation

Environmental Groups Warm to Trains

Railroads are overcoming decades of resistance from environmentalists by touting their greener aspects.

May 30, 2008 - Wall St. Journal

Columbus Announces $170 Million Bikeways Plan

City commits to adding over 450 miles of new bikeways/lanes linking neighborhoods, parks, downtown, and employment centers over the next 20 years and making an initial investment of $20 million.

May 30, 2008 - The Columbus Dispatch

Politicians Call on Seattle to Think Creatively About Freeway Problem

In this guest column, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and King County Executive Ron Sims argue that Seattle needs to find a creative solution to the problem posed by its aging inner-city freeway.

May 30, 2008 - The Seattle Times

A Laser Light Show in the Crosswalk

Will laser-projected pedestrians make crossing the street safer in South Korea?

May 30, 2008 - Streetsblog

L.A. Called Home to Second Smallest Carbon Footprint

New research from the Brookings Institution claims that Los Angeles has the second smallest carbon footprint of big American cities -- a finding that contains a few caveats.

May 29, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

Will Bay Area Transit Riders Get Wi-Fi?

BART, the region's rail transit agency, is negotiating with a private company to install a wireless network that would allow riders to check email and access the Internet.

May 28, 2008 - PC World

Budapest To Encourage Cycling

Thick congestion has politicians in Budapest looking at ways to improve mobility -- mainly by encouraging bicycle use.

May 28, 2008 - AFP

Creating A Less Treacherous Bike Ride

New York City is trying to make life for bike commuters a little less treacherous by building dedicated bike lanes throughout the city.

May 28, 2008 - The Washington Post

The Failure of Long-Range Metropolitan Transportation Planning

In a policy analysis for the Cato Institute, Randal O'Toole reviews plans for more than 75 of the nation's largest metropolitan areas reveals that virtually all of them fail to follow standard planning methods, and half of them are not effective.

May 27, 2008 - Cato Institute

A New Proposal For Kansas City's Transit System

Mayor Mark Funkhouser's new proposal calls for a regional transit system spanning 119 miles, though it relies on much less light rail than some transit advocates had hoped for.

May 27, 2008 - The Kansas City Star

America's Oil Addiction Is Like A Drinking Problem

The Washington Post's car columnist, Warren Brown, writes about the U.S oil addiction using insightful references to alcoholism -- describing the role of the government, the auto and oil industry, and most importantly, consumers.

May 27, 2008 - The Washington Post

The Scooter Alternative

Scooter sales are on the rise, as Americans wake up to the effect of high gas prices on their pocketbook.

May 25, 2008 - Tim Halbur

L.A. Subway Ridership Spikes in 2008

With gas prices rising beyond the comfort zones of many drivers, ridership on L.A.'s train system has seen record highs in the early months of 2008. For many in the city, the price is prompting a major paradigm shift in terms of mobility.

May 25, 2008 - BBC

Streets May Become Temporary Recreational Spaces in San Francisco

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is considering a plan to temporarily close down certain streets to car traffic, creating public space for pedestrians -- similar to the successful Ciclovia that takes place weekly in Bogota, Colombia.

May 25, 2008 - The Examiner

Americans Reluctantly Face Their Gasoline Habit

The New York Times looks across the nation and finds consumers reluctantly changing their habits to deal with rising gas prices.

May 24, 2008 - The New York Times

Latest Culprit of Housing Crisis: Transit Expansion

Falling revenues from real estate taxes could impact transit expansion plans as New York's MTA faces a sharp decline.

May 24, 2008 - Tim Halbur

New BRT Bus Lanes: Dedicated, But Dangerous

Delhi has unveiled a new bus rapid transit system, with dedicated bus lanes. The only problem is that the bus stops and dedicated lanes are located in the middle of hectic and busy streets that are dangerous to cross.

May 24, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal

Soon You Won't Be Able to 'Drive Until You Qualify'

High gas prices and slowing construction rates in exurban areas may mean that the era of "driving until you qualify" for affordable housing may be over soon.

May 23, 2008 - California Planning & Development Report

Trains on the Brooklyn Bridge?

In the early days, trolleys and trains carried 400,000 passengers a day over the Brooklyn Bridge. With continued growth in pedestrian traffic, a former transit commissioner says a rail renaissance might not be so far-fetched.

May 23, 2008 - NY1 News

Seattle to Reward People for Not Driving

City officials and local businesses in Seattle are teaming up to offer cash and prizes to residents who limit their car use this summer.

May 23, 2008 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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.