Massachusetts
A Citizen's Wish List for Boston Transportation
As part of the city's long-term Go Boston 2030 plan, residents were consulted about what improvements they would like to see. Answers included an end to fatal crashes and better-integrated, more frequent transit.
High-Tech Lego Model Provides Interactive Transit Planning Test Bed
The process of building tactile models of neighborhoods as tools for planning outreach just got an upgrade with a high-tech, interactive Lego model built for the Boston area.
How to Build a Real-Time LED Display of Your City's Transit System
One MIT student's love of transit means no one in his house will ever miss the T.
Boston Mayor Considering Shoup-Style Makeover for Downtown Parking
Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Chris Osgood, the latter Boston's new "chief of streets," are looking to San Francisco as a model of dynamic parking.
Massachusetts Could Be Next State to Adopt a Road Usage Charge
In the wake of voter rejection of automatic indexing of the state gas tax, Massachusetts legislators may do away with the tax altogether. They are considering a trial of the Oregon model of road usage charge.
Cambridge Looking to Value Capture Transit Funding
The city of Cambridge is proposing a new transportation enhancement fund that would charge developments to fund upgrades Red Line’s Kendall/MIT Station or enhanced bus service.
Pricetag for MBTA's Green Line Extension Jumps $1 Billion
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is scrambling to resolve a major cost overrun for the planned Green Line extension—in peril is potential rail service to one of the most densely populated cities in the country.
Somerville Reaches for Carbon Neutrality by 2050
The city has launched a program of collaboration with the green tech industry.
A Really, Really Big Fuel Cell Vehicle Possibly Coming to the Bay Area
This vehicle would be larger than a Hummer, a bus, and even an 18-wheeler. Then again, it would not travel on land. The proposal goes by an appropriate acronym: SF-BREEZE. Think fresh air over the bay.
Lessons in Waterfront Revitalization from Boston and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh's Riverlife recently hired Vivien Li from the Boston Harbor Association. Li's career trajectory helpfully informs the kinds of decisions that drive good waterfront planning.
Foundations for First U.S. Offshore Wind Power Towed to Construction Site
Last week the foundations for five wind turbines were towed into place off Block Island, 13 miles east of Rhode Island in the Atlantic Ocean. Scheduled to go online in 2016, they will be the first offshore wind turbines in the United States.
Boston Out of the Olympics Game for 2024
After a protracted controversy, the United States Olympic Committee officially terminated the bid for Boston to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Boston Olympic Plan Includes 8,000 Units of Housing
As it vies to host the 2024 Summer Games, Boston's plan envisions two new permanent neighborhoods built with a mix of public and private investment. The final decision will take place in September.
Is Boston Ready for Gold Standard Bus Rapid Transit?
Gold Standard is the term used by the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy to define world-class BRT service. A recently released ITDP study, underwritten by the Barr Foundation, argues for more Gold Standard service.
Boston Hopes to Make it Easier for Developers to Prepare for Rising Seas
Several agencies with the city of Boston will begin studying how to retrofit the city's building codes to prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Boston Confronts the Origins of Its Lousy Architecture
For the first 300-or-so years of its history, Boston built some of the most handsome, historic neighborhoods in the country. Lately, says critic Rachel Slade, it has given in to mediocrity. Mayor Marty Walsh is trying to undo the damage.
MassDot Planning a New Bridge Into Cape Cod
A potential public-private partnership would add a third bridge into Cape Cod.
Pop Quiz: What State Has Highest Percentage of Deficient Bridges?
Hint: It's also the smallest by area. And the next two on the "first is worst" list are in the Northeast as well. According to 2014 FHWA data, over 50 percent of this state's bridges are considered deficient, either structurally or functionally.
Op-Ed: Charge Drivers by the Gallon, Not by the Mile
Ben Adler of Grist makes a convincing case of why we should stick with gas taxes and not switch to a road usage charge, as Oregon will do July 1 in a limited program. Tax what you burn, not by how much you drive, he argues, to get the best results.
Boston Launching First Comprehensive Plan Since 1965
Better architecture has been a consistent theme of the tenure of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. The city's first comprehensive plan since 1965 could be the key tool in producing the desired results.
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
