Infrastructure

Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta

California's Bay Delta Explained

As California's drought drags on, the Delta—which provides water to much of the state—has come to symbolize the tension among water users with competing interests. But the strained resource has also prompted ambitious initiatives for sustainability.

October 23, 2015 - VerdeXchange News

Boston transit station

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.

October 23, 2015 - Boston Globe

Tokyo Pedestrians

The Walking City

What implications does pedestrian activity have on urban design? Creating walkable environments for pedestrians can improve urban conditions according to Arup architect Demetrio Scopelliti. We spoke to him about upcoming research on the topic.

October 22, 2015 - Doggerel

A Case Study of California's Lowest-Ranked Transit Station

Build it and they will come hasn't worked out so well for the Gillespie Field station on the Green Line of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. A recent scorecard rated the station lowest among 489 competitors.

October 22, 2015 - Voice of San Diego

Pothole

Blaming Millennials for Decaying Road Infrastructure

If you thought inflation and fuel efficiency, along with politicians unwillingness to raise gas taxes were the main causes of America's decaying road and bridges, S&P adds another contributing factor—millennial transportation preferences.

October 22, 2015 - Marketwatch

Millennials

Millennials Can't Change U.S. Driving Habits Alone

Yonah Freemark throws cold water on the notion that the country is becoming less auto-dependent. Yes, millennials are less auto-oriented than older were, but they haven't stopped per-capita vehicle miles traveled from increasing.

October 21, 2015 - the transport politic

Fixing the Flood of Congestion at its Source

In pursuit of an honest conversation about congestion, Charles Marohn produces a comparison between roads and stormwater infrastructure.

October 20, 2015 - Strong Towns

Shifting the Timeline of Hazard Mitigation Plans

South Carolina recently experienced the impacts of what was called a 1,000-year storm. The problem? The state experienced the same level of storm just 26 years ago, and can expect more of the same in the future.

October 20, 2015 - NRDC Switchboard

Cleveland Planning a New Bikeway on the Model of the Cultural Trail of Indianapolis

The city of Cleveland's first protected bike path has planning commission approval. The protected path is a component of the city's ambitious bike infrastructure plans.

October 20, 2015 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Construction Begins Raising San Francisco Bike Lane

A small section of the well-used, protected bike lane on San Francisco's busy Market Street will be raised just a few inches to increase bicycle safety. Construction began Monday and should take a month to complete.

October 20, 2015 - ABC7

A New Bridge Opens Today in Suburban Pittsburgh; An Old Bridge Closes

A new bridge across the Alleghany River will connect Oakmant and Harmar. Another bridge located in nearby Pittsburgh, made infamous by John Oliver, closed earlier this week.

October 20, 2015 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Safe Routes to School

Safe Routes for All Seattle Schools

Seattle continues to expand its efforts to improve walkability with the Safe Routes to School Program.

October 19, 2015 - Seattle Bike Blog

New House Transportation Reauthorization Bill Expected for Mark Up This Week

The current patch bill funding highway and transit spending expires on Oct. 29. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has released a multi-year bill called the Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform Act of 2015 (STRR Act).

October 19, 2015 - The Hill

Modern high speed bullet train in China

Chinese Rail Firm Pursuing High-Speed Rail Ambitions in California, Indonesia

The China Railway International Group, working with the Chinese Export-Import Bank, responded to the California High-Speed Rail Authority's "expressions of interest." They teamed up with China Development Bank to beat out the Japanese in Indonesia.

October 18, 2015 - Reuters

California Cyclists to Share Bike Lanes With Electric Skateboarders

Just as motorists have had to learn to share the road with cyclists, California cyclists may have to do the same in sharing bikes lanes with electric skateboard riders, according to a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 11.

October 17, 2015 - SF Gate

Ambitious Complete Streets Plan Proposed for Woodward Ave Between Detroit and Pontiac

The Woodward Avenue Action Association recently approved a plan for a complete streets makeover that would connect to the forthcoming M-1 streetcar and cross several city boundaries.

October 17, 2015 - Detroit Free Press

Complete Streets

Feds May Drop 'Highway-Inspired' Rules for Streets

The Federal Highway Administration may put an end to rules mandating wide lanes and "clear zones," making it easier to implement complete streets.

October 16, 2015 - Streetsblog USA

Dutch Fyra Train

Transit Use Thrives on Destination Density

If jobs, services, and other urban amenities are concentrated downtown, suburbanites can use transit to get there quickly without a car. Job sprawl makes transit useless outside central districts.

October 16, 2015 - City Observatory

Power Plant

25 Coal Power Plants to Shutter in Michigan in Five Years

Credit EPA emission regulations for the decisions by utilities to close the aging plants. Michigan receives half its power from coal—the most polluting fossil fuel. The new Clean Power Plan rule will cause more remaining plants to close in time.

October 15, 2015 - Power Engineering

Energy, Carol Stream, IL

New York's Visionary Model of Utilities Reform

Utilities profit from building more power plants—a flawed model for a diminishing natural monopoly.

October 15, 2015 - Vox

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.