Car-Centric Planning

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Northern California Wilidfires

Op-Ed Supports Congestion Pricing for San Francisco

An opinion piece by Josh Wilson makes a case for a congestion pricing plan tailored specifically for the realities of living and working in San Francisco.

July 3, 2019 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Traffic Safety

When it Comes to Road Diets, Evidence Doesn't Matter

Drivers are a powerful enough lobby to overcome all evidence of the need to redesign streets for safety. Examples from Maryland and Virginia provide the latest case studies in Vision Zero futility.

June 25, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Marquam Bridge

The Biggest Highway Boondoggles in the United States

Frontier Group and U.S. PIRG have released the fifth edition of its Highway Boondoggles report.

June 18, 2019 - U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Interstate Freeways

Debating Freeway Expansion Projects Around Louisville

Several large freeway expansion projects are in various stages of planning and development in the Louisville region of Kentucky. Critics say the projects reflect an obsolete approach to planning and will hurt the state and the city.

June 18, 2019 - WDRB

Congestion versus mobility

Breaking the Cycle of Automobile Dependency

Many current planning practices reinforce a cycle of increased automobile use, more automobile-oriented community redevelopment, and reduced mobility options. There are good reasons to break this pattern.

June 3, 2019 - Todd Litman

Starbucks Drive-Thru

Citywide Ban on New Drive-Thrus Moves Forward in Minneapolis

The city of Minneapolis doesn't want any more drive-throughs in the city, in an effort to cut down on emissions, car trips, and conflict points in the public realm.

May 21, 2019 - Star Tribune

Congestion Pricing

Lessons in Congestion Pricing

New York City might need some courage to go through with its idea sto charge drivers to enter parts of Manhattan. Luckily there are International models of success to choose from.

May 12, 2019 - Fast Company

School Buses and Homes

Study Documents the Public Health Effects of Long School Commutes

Richard Florida cites new research to argue that car culture and car oriented communities are the main culprits in the unhealthy lifestyles of U.S. school children.

May 9, 2019 - CityLab

Los Angeles

Unequal Distribution of Shade Is Environmental Injustice

A longread, written by Sam Boch and published by Places Journal, has been creating a stir online and is highly recommended for those with an interest in intersections between social justice and urban design.

May 3, 2019 - Places Journal

Freeway Construction

Analysis of U.S. DOT BUILD Grants Raises Critical Issues About Spending Priorities

Transportation for America is crunching the numbers on how the Trump administration has shifted transportation funding programs since it took over the TIGER grant program and made it into the BUILD grant program.

April 30, 2019 - Transportation for America

Suburban Office Building

Watch: What it Takes to Retrofit Suburbia

June Williamson explains the necessary components of the next generation of the suburban retrofitting project, and why these actions are so necessary.

April 27, 2019 - Redesigning Cities via YouTube

Arizona Streets

Dead on Arrival: Vision Zero Loses at the Phoenix City Council

Car-oriented politics keeps scoring wins in Phoenix.

April 24, 2019 - Arizona Republic

Arizona

A Car-Centric Past and a More Vertical Future in Phoenix

Phoenix has the zoning for more height in its downtown, and future development might finally yield a more recognizable skyline.

April 9, 2019 - Arizona Republic

London Air Pollution

Crisis Response Afforded Aviation Fatalities But Neglected for Automobile Tragedies

The Globe and Mail editorial board points out the obvious hypocrisies of the global response to an aviation tragedy relative to the ongoing tragedies that occur every day as a result of the world's reliance on automobiles.

March 27, 2019 - Globe and Mail

Broadway Los Angeles

Auto-Centric City Dichotomy: More Mobility Options and More Risk

As cities strive to improve mobility for all users, the existing auto paradigm is slow to change

February 25, 2019 - The Conversation

Mercedes Benz Suburbs

Delinquent Car Payments Reach Record High

More people are three months behind on car payments today than at the height of the Great Recession. That's bad news for the economy.

February 13, 2019 - The Washington Post

Houston Traffic

All the Ways Congestion and Long Car Commutes Are Bad for Public Health

The status quo is unhealthy for everybody.

January 25, 2019 - The New York Times

Multi-Modal

Comparing the Progress of Cities in Providing Alternatives to the Car Commute

A new online tool allows cities to measure progress in providing access to alternative forms of transportation.

January 21, 2019 - Fast Company

Gwinnett County

Atlanta Commuters Outspend the Rest of the Country

The commute costs Atlanta residents more than in any other city, according to new analysis by Educated Driver.

January 5, 2019 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

California Streetcar

Gas Stations, Other Car-Centric Uses Banned From Transit-Oriented Areas in Sacramento

The city of Sacramento has implemented one of the most aggressively transit-oriented land use regulation schemes in the country.

December 14, 2018 - The Sacramento Bee

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.