Car-Centric Planning

Generation Z Is Driving Less, But History Indicates It Won’t Last
Think Generation Z will usher in the long-awaited post-car future of transit advocates’ dreams? Think again (about the example set by the Millennials).

The Slow Retreat of Pandemic-Era Outdoor Dining Programs Continues
It’s been almost three years since the political dynamics of outdoor dining in the United States shifted, suddenly and overwhelmingly. Increasingly, the status quo is being restored.

The Right to Mobility
As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.

Rising Costs Threaten TxDOT’s $85 Billion Highway-Building Plans
Texas Transportation Commissioners must have a hangover—backing off its highway building ambitions just a few months after approving the $85 billion Unified Transportation Plan in August 2022.

Federal Infrastructure Bill Accelerates Nebraska’s Plans for 600-Mile Expressway
Nebraska is in the process of criss-crossing the state with a new expressway system. According to state transportation officials, the final push to complete the multi-decade project will be aided by Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.

GAO Decision Makes it Easier for States to Spend Federal Infrastructure on Roads
An attempt by the Biden administration to control new infrastructure dollars has been foiled by the Congressional Review Act.

Baltimore’s Red Line Rail Project Back on the Table Thanks to New Governor
One of the most infamously anti-transit decisions of the past decade—Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s decision to cancel the Baltimore Red Line system expansion—could be reversed by the incoming governor.

Construction Set to Begin on $1.6 Billion Highway Widening in Texas
Construction is expected to begin on the Southeast Connector highway widening project near Fort Worth in the spring and wrap up in 2027.

Roadways for People: The Necessity of Collaboration
Breaking down planning silos to ensure transportation options in a car-oriented world.

Outdoor Dining Parklets No Longer Cheap and Easy
Cities in Santa Cruz County, California are making outdoor dining laws permanent, and some businesses are getting sticker shock at the extra cost of maintaining the pandemic-era expansion of al fresco dining.

The United Nations Calls on U.S. Planners to Break Land Use, Transportation Status Quo
“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”

Banning Electric Scooters Results in More, Longer Car Trips, Study Says
Cities should expect to see increases in automobile trips, and resulting consequences, if they ban or limit the use of electric scooters or other micromobility devices, according to new research.

Lawsuit Challenges Maryland's Big Highway Widening Plans
A lawsuit has challenged Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's plans, first proposed in 2017 and granted federal approval earlier this year, to widen Interstate 270 and part of the Capital Beltway.

Open Streets and Outdoor Dining Are Best for Business, Report Says
Most business owners believe that they'd be out of business without on-street parking near their front door. The experience of New York City during the pandemic proves otherwise.

Cities Rethinking the Value of Parking
The effort to reclaim public and private spaces from car storage had some setbacks since the days of al fresco and open streets in the first years of Covid-19. But widespread parking reforms and new evidence shows the public is rethinking parking.

Jaywalking Decriminalized in California
Another day, another historic planning-related bill signed into law in the Golden State.

The Inflation Reduction Act Missed a Chance to Rein in Car-Dependent Sprawl
The federal government is so far unwilling to reverse course on car-dependent sprawl. The Inflation Reduction Act is the latest example.

The Inflation Reduction Act's 'Inadequate' Reliance on Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but not enough to prevent the worst of climate change and not as much as walkable cities with far fewer cars on the road.

Rise Of Electric Vehicles Makes Good Planning More Crucial Than Ever
There may be plenty of reasons to hail the rise of electric vehicles, including California's policy to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035. But what may be good for the air is not necessarily good for cities.

The Case for Urban Highway Removal
Instead of removing urban freeways, which have proven to be destructive to communities and economies—in some cases deliberately so—many cities are expanding freeways in and around cities.
Pagination
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