A region once brought to a standstill by two inches of snow is now almost completely free of traffic congestion.
"The Georgia Department of Transportation reports a dramatic reduction in traffic Tuesday vs. a typical weekday on many of the region’s major highways," reports David Wickert. "Depending on the corridor, volumes were down as much as 50 percent compared to a typical weekday."
Traffic volumes being down means traffic speeds are also up. The average speed on the Downtown Connector on the same day was 60 mph, according to Wickert.
With one exception, congestion has disappeared from the region's highways: traffic on I-85 south in Gwinnett County was higher than normal on Tuesday, but officials couldn't explain why.
The effect of the coronavirus stands in stark contrast to the infamous "Snowmageddon" event of January 2014, when two inches of snow brought the region to a standstill, inspiring numerous commentaries about the role of sprawl and auto-dependency in the mess that followed.
FULL STORY: Coronavirus: Traffic down as much as 50% on metro Atlanta highways
Georgia Mask Ban Reversed After White House Coronavirus Task Force Issues Critical Report
Shortly after a private White House report blasted Georgia's pandemic response, Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order allowing cities and counties to impose requirements on mask-wearing. The report was leaked to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Traffic Returns to Normal in Nebraska
Rural traffic has recovered from COVID-19 lows earlier in the year and has even surpassed historic averages, according to the case study supplied by the state of Nebraska.
Adaptive Reuse Proposal Responds to COVID-19
Designers have gone back to the drawing board to keep proposals moving through the development pipeline in light of lessons from the pandemic.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research