Infrastructure

Ridership Rising on Canada Line

The new Canada Line rail service that links downtown Vancouver to the airport has seen steadily increasing ridership since its opening in August.

December 29, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

Biggest Infrastructure News of the Decade

In the first of two installments, The Infrastructurist counts down the top ten infrastructure stories from the past decade.

December 29, 2009 - The Infrastructurist

Disconnected from Society? Gated Communities: Their Lifestyle versus Urban Governance

Peer Smets (VU University Amsterdam) investigates the socio-cultural impacts of specific patterns of urban segregation (gated communities) on local urban politics and urban governance.

December 28, 2009 - The Urban Reinventors Online Urban Journal

Is China Spending Too Much on Trains?

Financial analysts in China say that the country is spending far too much money - to the tune of $229 billion - on its nationwide high-speed passenger-rail network.

December 23, 2009 - The New York Times

CalTrans Sued Over Disability Access, Settles for $1.1b in Fixes

Civil rights activists sued CalTrans for failing to provide wheelchair ramps across the state. In federal court yesterday, CalTrans settled with the groups, agreeing to over a billion dollars in access improvements over 30 years.

December 23, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times

Federal Bills To Provide Billions For Transportation Working Through Congress

The jobs and defense bills - both of which will provide much needed money for transportation projects while extending the current transportation authorization law (SAFETEA-LU) through Sept. 2010, are working there way to the President's desk.

December 23, 2009 - Transportation for America

The Infrastructural Divide

Infrastructure spending is becoming a dividing issue amongst political factions in America, according to this piece from Wired.

December 22, 2009 - Wired

The Bizarre Planning of the Las Vegas Monorail

There's a monorail on the Las Vegas Strip. Well, kinda. It's actually behind the casinos and hotels that line the famous strip. This piece from Metropolis explains how it got there and why it's not so good.

December 20, 2009 - Metropolis

The Absurdity of Stationary Bikes

Cong. Earl Blumenauer, speaking at an event with David Byrne and Janette Sadik-Khan, points out the absurdity of people driving to gyms to hop on stationary bikes. Lack of bicycle infrastructure is to blame, he says.

December 19, 2009 - Next American City

So Cal's Infrastructure A Mess, Says New Report

A new report from The Road Information Program, a D.C.-area nonprofit, documents the growing number of highway, bridge and transit systems in need of repair in Southern California and lacking the necessary funding.

December 18, 2009 - Daily News Los Angeles

Vast Changes Along the Mekong River

Dam and development projects are in the works along the Mekong River, which runs through six Asian countries. Some say the river and the economies that rely on it are being threatened.

December 18, 2009 - The New York Times

Brazil's New Dam Opens Shipping Doors But Hurts Green Image

A new $7.7 billion dam is being built in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, a piece of infrastructure expected to ease the shipment of goods between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But its environmental impact may hurt Brazil's green credibility.

December 16, 2009 - The Washington Post

From Brothel to Floodplain

A floodplain on the Truckee River -- the original site of a famous Nevada brothel -- is being restored to its natural state.

December 16, 2009 - The New York Times

Life is a Two-Way Street

Vancouver, Washington's Main St. had languished for years, until city officials turned the street back to two-way traffic. Everyone was surprised at how much difference it made.

December 15, 2009 - Governing Magazine

Rivers Reworked in South Korea

South Korean officials have begun work on a $19.2 billion effort to remake the country's four largest rivers. The project would slightly reshape the rivers and add towns and bike trails to their waterfronts.

December 14, 2009 - The New York Times

U.S. Megaprojects Are Not in the U.S.

Some say the age of mega infrastructure projects is over in the U.S., but this piece from Foreign Policy argues the U.S. megaproject lives on -- just not inside the U.S.

December 14, 2009 - Foreign Policy

Banning the Cul-de-Sac and Building Bike Highways

From bicycle highways to a ban on the cul-de-sac, the built environment is the focus of many of The New York Times Magazine's ideas of the year.

December 13, 2009 - The New York Times Magazine

Cell Towers May Rise in Austin Parks

Parks officials in Austin, Texas are considering a plan that would allow cell phone companies to lease space within the city's parks where they could build cellular communication towers.

December 12, 2009 - Austin American-Statesman

People Mover to Link BART and Airport

Oakland International Airport will link directly with a nearby BART station through a driver-less people mover, according to a decision made recently by BART directors.

December 11, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.