Cars

Ignoring Cars in Toronto

The City of Toronto prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists and transit over cars. Some in the city are concerned that the city is ignoring a car congestion problem that is only growing.

May 20, 2009 - The Toronto Sun

Beijing Adds 1,466 New Cars Daily

For the first month and a half of 2009, the amount of new cars added daily in Beijing has climbed from 1,350 in 2008 to more than 1,450, bringing more than 65,000 cars into the city so far this year.

February 19, 2009 - Agence France Presse via Grist

North Carolina Tries Toughening Up Emissions Standards

NC Rep. Price Harrison hopes that the third time's a charm when he reintroduces legislation requiring higher auto emissions standards. If it passes, the state's standards may start looking more like California's within the coming year.

February 12, 2009 - The News & Observer

Twin Cities Transit Ridership Up, Funding Down

Ridership is up on transit in the Twin Cities. Fewer cars are being sold, and tax revenues are down. With little funding expected to fill the gap, transit fare increases may be on the horizon.

February 5, 2009 - Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune

The Sprawl of Unsold Cars

The downturn in the economy has hurt the auto industry, leaving many cars unsold. Storage of these cars is becoming a problem for many automakers.

January 25, 2009 - Guardian

Travel and Cars – Fun with Numbers for 2008

Transportation and its relationship to the economy have been headline media topics for most of 2008 as we have seen unprecedented swings in fuel prices and travelers responding with declines in vehicle miles of travel (VMT) and unprecedented slowing in new vehicle sales.  Transit and Amtrak have seen noticeable ridership growth and there have been cutbacks in demand for and supply of airline capacity.  What is increasingly looking like an historic recession combined with a plummeting of gas prices late in 2008 has confounded the diagnosis of energy price impacts on travel. 

January 5, 2009 - Steven Polzin

Cars, Kids, and a Safer Environment Through Planning

Urban areas are filled with cars, and this creates an unsafe environment for children. This commentary argues that officials need to regain their faith in the power of planning to address the issue.

September 25, 2008 - Guardian

How the Light Pickup Became America's Best Seller

Eduardo Porter traces the American preference for light trucks back to a tariff against frozen chicken back in 1961.

September 12, 2008 - The New York Times

Cars Left Behind in Most Trips to Vancouver's Core

A recent study shows that about 60% of all trips into the urban core of Vancouver are not by car.

September 8, 2008 - The Vancouver Sun

California Thinks About Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance Plans

The State of California is considering a plan to allow pay-as-you-drive car insurance plans. Many hope the move will encourage less driving.

August 31, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

Colleges Discouraging Cars

Colleges across the country are trying new incentive programs to get students to leave their cars behind when school starts.

August 11, 2008 - USA Today

Study Says That Highways Don't Pay for Themselves

How often does one hear that transit is somehow a less respectable form of transportation than driving because of the "massive subsidies" transit receives? Well, a new study by Texas DOT says that highways don't pay for themselves either.

July 9, 2008 - la.streetsblog.org

Oklahoma's Car Culture Forced to Adapt

Oklahoma City residents used to 70-mile commutes are turning to carpooling as gas hovers at $4 a gallon. But with the largest land area of any U.S. city, providing public transit remains a major challenge.

June 14, 2008 - CNNMoney.com

Sweden Creates Sewage-Powered Cars, But Auto Industry Lags Behind

Household sewage is currently fueling cars in Sweden, and has for years. But Swedish industry has given up on the idea, investing in ethanol-based gasoline.

May 30, 2008 - International Herald Tribune

Americans Reluctantly Face Their Gasoline Habit

The New York Times looks across the nation and finds consumers reluctantly changing their habits to deal with rising gas prices.

May 24, 2008 - The New York Times

Cars Don't Cause Traffic, Drivers Do

Some planners hope that driverless car technology can finally put an end to traffic jams.

May 19, 2008 - The North County Times

Bike Production Dwarfs Car Production

Production of bicycles is more than double the production of cars worldwide -- and the gap between the two vehicles is widening. Many see this as an indicator of the global shift towards encouraging bicycle use as a viable transportation option.

May 17, 2008 - Earth Policy Institute

Friday Funny: The End of America's Love Affair with the Car

Assuming everything is fine in its long-time relationship with America, the car comes home to an unhappy surprise in this cartoon from Streetsblog.

March 21, 2008 - Streetsblog

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.

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An annual review of books related to planning.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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