Pedestrian Safety

Two white garbage trucks stopped on New York City street.

How the ‘Direct Vision’ Design Approach Saves Lives

Designing large trucks to ensure better visibility for drivers can reduce fatal crashes and improve workplace safety.

April 8, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Low view of separated bike lanes in middle of Pennsylvania Avenue with U.S. Capitol dome visible at end of street at night.

Safe Streets Funding in Jeopardy

The Trump administration is specifically targeting bike infrastructure and other road safety projects in its funding cuts.

April 4, 2025 - Grist

Family wearing helmets rides down separated bike trail in city.

Proposed Bill Would Direct Funds to Road Safety

The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act was spurred by the death of a U.S. diplomat who was killed on her bicycle.

April 2, 2025 - Bethesda Magazine

Close-up on pedestrian crosswalk light in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin with historic building with steeple visible in background.

Milwaukee Announces 60 Traffic Calming Projects for 2025

The city has successfully reduced traffic deaths and aims to eliminate them completely within the next decade.

March 23, 2025 - Urban Milwaukee

Close-up of speed camera against blue sky.

Data Shows Chicago Speed Cameras Reduce Speeding, Crashes

Countering claims made by the Chicago Tribune that automated enforcement doesn’t improve safety, Streetsblog Chicago lays out the data showing how traffic safety fared in camera zones.

March 11, 2025 - Streetsblog Chicago

An adult man, stopped on a Seattle, Washington street corner, preparing for a rainy morning bike commute.

Seattle Recorded Zero Bike Deaths in 2024, per Early Data

The city halved the number of pedestrian deaths compared to 2021.

March 10, 2025 - Seattle Bike Blog

People walking down Bourbon Street in New Orleans at night.

Bourbon Street Could Be a Model for Pedestrian Spaces

The conversation around pedestrianizing public streets isn’t new — think Times Square. Could one of America’s oldest streets lead the way in a revival of the pedestrian mall?

March 6, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

People walking on San Francisco street with 'Slow Streets' signs.

San Francisco Slow Streets Bucks Citywide Trend, Reducing Injuries by 61 Percent

Low-cost interventions aimed at slowing traffic are making a major impact on road safety.

March 4, 2025 - KQED

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

White Waymo self-driving taxi on street in downtown San Francisco, California with glass high-rise in background.

NHTSA Cuts Could Make Roads More Dangerous

The agency is losing almost half of the team that oversees autonomous vehicle safety, among dozens of other key personnel.

February 24, 2025 - The Washington Post

Close-up of car dashboard with speedometer at 35 on roadway at night.

Has Progress on Travel Safety Run Off the Road?

Changing technology and rebuilding infrastructure to improve road safety are long-term strategies. How can enforcement and interventions that influence driver behavior make a difference in reducing traffic deaths sooner?

February 21, 2025 - Steven Polzin

Red spherical bollards lining city sidewalk.

Building Secure Yet Welcoming Public Spaces

Strategies for securing public spaces from vehicle attacks and other acts of terrorism without sacrificing accessible, vibrant urban places.

February 13, 2025 - Bloomberg CityLab

Low view of person with vision impairment cane walking through crosswalk.

Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians

A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.

February 9, 2025 - University of Maryland

Red Chevrolet truck parked on street in front of two small sedans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Heavier Vehicles Don’t Keep Passengers Safer

A new study shows that modern safety features are more important than size and weight once vehicles weigh over 4,000 pounds.

February 7, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

"No turn on red" sign on signpost with pedestrian stoplight.

Why Right Turns on Red Are Bad for Traffic Safety

The practice creates dangerous conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and anyone crossing in front of turning vehicles.

January 29, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Pedestrians crossing a busy crosswalk on New York City street with tall buildings in background

NYC Congestion Pricing May Be Saving Lives

According to preliminary data, crashes and injuries dropped dramatically within the city’s new congestion relief zone.

January 27, 2025 - StreetsBlog NYC

Bird's eye view of high-rise buildings in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

OKC Releases Draft Vision Zero Plan

The plan identifies a High Injury Network and strategies for improving road safety on Oklahoma City streets.

January 22, 2025 - Oklahoma City Free Press

Black bollards lining a curved sidewalk next to a cobblestone street.

Why Aren’t There More Bollards in US Cities?

Solid barriers, like the dormant ones in New Orleans, are commonly used to improve road safety in Europe. Why not here?

January 17, 2025 - MinnPost

Child wearing yellow reflective safety vest looking before crossing street.

Study: Auto Braking Tech Doesn’t Register Reflective Clothing

The automatic braking systems on two major car models failed to stop for pedestrians wearing reflective strips in a test.

January 10, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Cyclist on bike in green painted bike lane at intersection with three-story buildings in background.

NACTO Releases Updated Urban Bikeway Guide

The third edition of the nationally recognized road design guide includes detailed design advice for roads that prioritize safety and accessibility for all users.

January 8, 2025 - National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)

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.