#TransitTrends Asks: 'Where Did City Planning Go Wrong?'

The transportation planning app moovel (formerly known as Ridescout) has created a YouTube series called Transit Trends that brings "explainer posts" to a new format.

1 minute read

July 20, 2016, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The YouTube channel for moovel (the app formerly known as RideScout) has launched a new YouTube series called Transit Trends, with five episodes already queued up.

The latest episode discusses "why the city planning of the past is the cause of our current transportation mess," calling on Gabe Klein, former Director of the D.C. Department of Transportation and Commissioner of Transportation of Chicago, as well as the author of Start-Up City, to provide his insight into the challenges facing planners working to resolve the disconnect between planning and transportation.

Klein sums up his position on the common ground between land use and transportation planning thusly: "When we talk about transit, we often get caught up in talking about moving people….What we're really doing is creating great places, when you connect land use to transit."

Jeff Wood, known to many by his Twitter handle of @TheOverheadWire, also contributes his expertise to the episode, especially with regard to the legacy of 20th century planning: sprawling patterns of urban development that have limited the reach of mass transit in many contemporary U.S. cities.

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Cars on a New York City street

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.

February 20, 2025 - StreetsBlog NYC

Tiny home village for unhoused reisdents in Torrance, California.

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.

February 20, 2025 - Mark Tirpak

Charred trees on hillside in Altadena, California after Eaton Fire.

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.

March 3 - LAist

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

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.

March 3 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Tent covered with camouflage tarp with American flag on front under freeway overpass in California.

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.

March 3 - The Associated Press

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.