An innovate plan to reconceive Auckland's transit network from the ground up led by Jarrett Walker demonstrates the dramatic efficiencies that can be gained, without additional cost, by increasing transfers.
In a new post on his Human Transit blog, Walker discusses the simple geometries behind the ambitious redesign of Auckland's public transit network that he's authored with planners from Auckland Transport and his colleagues at MRCagney.
For the same operating costs as the city's existing network, Walker's proposed plan, "defines an extensive network of high frequency
services around which future urban growth can organize to ensure that
over time, more and more of the city finds public transport convenient." Images of the existing network and the proposed plan demonstrate the dramatic expansion of access.
"What's the catch?", asks Walker. "Only the geometrically inevitable one:
more people will have to make connections from one service to another,
and the fare system will need to encourage rather than penalise that."
"Networks that are designed to prevent transferring must run
massive volumes of half-empty and quarter-empty buses and still have
trouble delivering frequencies that make the service worth waiting for.
The waste involved can be colossal, as you can see from the amount of
service we were able to redeploy in more useful ways with this redesign."
FULL STORY: auckland: how network redesign can transform a city's possibilities

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

San Francisco’s Muni Ridership Grew in 2024
The system saw its highest ridership since before the Covid-19 pandemic, but faces a severe budget shortage in the coming year.

Colorado Lawmakers Move to Protect BRT Funding
In the face of potential federal funding cuts, CDOT leaders reasserted their commitment to planned bus rapid transit projects.

Safe Streets Funding in Jeopardy
The Trump administration is specifically targeting bike infrastructure and other road safety projects in its funding cuts.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland