Car-Centric Planning

New Research Documents the Tragic Consequences of Noise Pollution
In the United States, busy roads shorten lives in more ways than one, but when it comes to the ill effects of noise pollution, almost no efforts are made to reduce the damage.

Senate Report Proposes Land Use and Transportation Reforms to Get Americans Out of Cars
Progress in combating climate change won't be possible unless Americans drive less. And Americans won't be able to drive less without changes to land use patterns in the United States.

Traffic Returns to Normal in Nebraska
Rural traffic has recovered from COVID-19 lows earlier in the year and has even surpassed historic averages, according to the case study supplied by the state of Nebraska.

Investment in Public Transit Could Reduce the Need for Police Traffic Enforcement
In Nick Demarsh and Rick Banks' opinion, defunding the police requires cities to reconsider car culture.

Walkability Plan, Including Parking Reform, Adopted in Houston
The city of Houston is embarking on an ambitious plan to reshape how new development in the city prioritizes walkability, and deprioritizes the automobile.

Bus Lanes, Desired by Advocates for Chicago's Lake Shore Drive Project, Back on the Table
After releasing a list of project alternatives that didn't include new bus lanes in the existing roadway, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has changed its mind.

Report: Vehicle Miles Traveled Almost Fully Returned to Pre-Pandemic Levels
Reports last week that the U.S. economy is about 30 percent smaller than before the pandemic aren't reflected in driving trends.

Friday Funny: Al Fresco on the Freeway
Fake news site The Onion imagines the logical result of car-centric planning during a pandemic.

New Zealand Eliminates Parking Minimums and Height Limits to Increase Urban Infill
Once again, New Zealand shows the way! The national government's new urban development policy will eliminate off-street parking requirements and remove low height-limits near transit stations to encourage more efficient infill development.

Liberating Cities from Cars
Examining models of progress toward restrictions on the use and storage of automobiles from urban areas around the world.

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Maryland's Big Highway Widening Project Released
The state of Maryland is moving forward with a highway widening plan that would spend $11 billion in a private-partnership to add toll lanes to two Capital Beltway highways.

Cars Retake Their Place on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach
Ocean Drive in South Beach is the site of an ongoing pilot project in making space for pedestrians and businesses in space previously devoted to cars. Advocates and some local politicians don't like the direction that the experiment is headed.

New York Poised to Become a Biking City
Could the pandemic be a tipping point for a century of car-centric planning in New York City's to give way to a more bike-friendly city?

First New Bridge to Manhattan in Decades Proposed Just for Pedestrians and People on Bikes
Introducing the proposed Queens Ribbon Bridge, a $100 million idea to connect Manhattan to Long Island City in Queens, by way of Roosevelt Island.

North Lake Shore Drive Redo Falls Short of Bus Priority Expectations
Strong criticisms of the project alternatives under consideration by the Illinois Department of Transportation for the closely watched North Lake Shore Drive project.

Road Widening Plans Criticized in Fairfax County Virginia
The car-centric status quo is continuing unabated even as Fairfax County commits to more urban thinking on transportation and land use planning.

Cities Are Suddenly a Little Less Car-Centric
(Opinion) After devoting more than a century of planning and engineering effort to the movement and storage of cars above all other considerations, U.S. cities have suddenly, temporarily shifted priorities.

'Ramps to Nowhere' Will Come Down in Seattle as New Debates Heat Up
The history of Seattle's opposition to car infrastructure is being commemorated while it's being made.

The Commute of the Future: Congested Mess, or Massive Mode Shift?
Researchers around the world are trying to get an idea about how increased automobile trips, fewer shared modes, and high unemployment will alter long-term trends in transportation.

Americans Would Prefer to Drive Themselves After the Pandemic, Survey Says
A massive survey on the sentiments of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic reports that many people are less likely to ride public transit, or rely on Uber and Lyft, in the future.
Pagination
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.
City of Santa Clarita
Ascent Environmental
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service