Transportation
Mission Possible?
Despite naysayers, Masdar City is moving forward. The goal: to be the world's first modern-day carbon-free city.
L.A. Transit Chief Calls for Highway Tolls
In this opinion piece, Roger Snoble of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority discusses why the region's mobility would benefit from toll lanes on highways.
New London Mayor Outlines Traffic and Transit Ideas
In this interview from last year, the now newly-elected mayor of London, Boris Johnson, talks about the importance of biking in the city, improving public transportation, and abolishing the city's congestion pricing system.
Debating L.A.'s Growth, Traffic and Transit
The Transit Coalition's Bart Reed and USC planning Professor Peter Gordon debate transit and traffic in L.A. in this five-part point-counterpoint series.
$3.50 Gasoline Is Changing The Nation's Vehicle Fleet
Small car sales, especially hybrids and subcompacts, are jumping while pickups and SUV sales plummet, contributing to a reduction in gas consumption. The $3.50 gallon mark may have been key to influencing vehicle selection as well as driver behavior.
New Zealand to Re-Nationalize Rail and Ferry Services
In the mid-1980s New Zealand sold its national rail assets to private industry in hopes of developing a profitable, efficient rail network. With deteriorating infrastructure and a desire for greener transit, the government has decided to buy it back.
Cities Scramble for Salt Lake Commuter Rail Station
Suburban Salt Lake cities are squabbling over who should host a possible station for the area's new commuter rail system. The city seen as the best choice doesn't want a station, while another city is doing all it can to lure the system.
New Jersey High School Students Protest Anti-Bike Policy
Students at Bridgewater-Raritan High School in New Jersey are protesting after the principal refused to accept a new bike rack as a gift from the school's environmental club.
Transforming A Bus Stop Into A Community Space
To build a sense of community and improve long neglected but heavily used bus stops, a community group in South Los Angeles has begun creating colorful outdoor living rooms to give residents a place to sit and chat.
U.S. DOT Joins the Blogosphere
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters (or, more likely, her communications team) has taken up blogging, but the new PR outlet comes with a title that's not so friendly to all modes of transportation.
The Ongoing Saga Of The Seattle Viaduct
With elections coming up, local politicians are peddling various plans for the replacement of the Alaska Way Viaduct -- though there is increasing consensus around removing the freeway and creating a waterfront boulevard.
Argentina To Build High-Speed Rail Line
The first high-speed train in the Americas -- which will be built by a consortium led by France's Alstom -- will cut travel times between Buenos Aires and cities of Rosario and Córdoba by more than two-thirds.
New York City's Abstract Subway Map
New York City's controversial subway map of 1972 is being updated in the current edition of Men's Vogue.
Feds Revive D.C. Metro Airport Extension
After declaring the planned Metro extension through Northern Virginia unfit for federal funds, the Federal Transit Administration has given tentative approval for the project, provided local governments contribute additional funding.
Even With Soaring Prices, U.S. Gas Is Still Cheap
With gas averaging $3.45 a gallon, the U.S. still only ranks as the 110th most expensive place to buy gas -- out of 155 countries.
Is Congestion Pricing Worth The Price?
With Los Angeles now planning to install HOT lanes, a pair of recent articles in the L.A. Times question whether congestion pricing is a way to help the rich at the expense of the poor, or a practical solution to traffic congestion and its ills.
Feds Fund Chicago's Congestion Pricing Parking Plan
$153 million in congestion reduction funds that had been awarded to New York City will now go to Chicago to apply congestion pricing to street parking spaces. Funds will also go toward developing pilot Bus Rapid Transit routes on dedicated lanes.
'Gas Tax Holiday' Won't Help Americans
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman holds no punches in expressing his displeasure in the 'gas tax holiday' proposal now that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has joined presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in endorsing it.
Should Toronto Put the Bus Stop Up For Sale?
A transportation official in Toronto is hoping to convince colleagues that the system should allow advertisers to buy naming rights for transit stops in the city as a way of increasing revenue, but many remain opposed.
Developer Action Needed to Spur Light Rail Plans
Private investors and developers must come forward and plan around proposed rail lines in Detroit if there is any hope of transit materializing, according to this editorial.
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
