Could conventional commuter trains be a cheaper alternative to extending the BART to San Jose, CA?
San Clara County, CA, will soon decide on spending nearly $4 billion to extend the BART from Alameda County to downtown San Jose. But could conventional commuter trains be a cheaper alternative? Conventional trains would costs half or even a quarter of the cost of extending the BART. But experts say that the slower conventional trains would not be attractive enough to commuters and would fail to spark development along transit routes.
Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan
FULL STORY: Trains better than BART?

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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