Pedestrian Safety

Protected Bike Lane Los Angeles

Caltrans Releases Complete Streets Action Plan

The agency’s detailed list of actions highlights the many changes needed to truly implement Complete Streets principles into California road construction and maintenance.

July 19, 2022 - Streetsblog California

Pedestrian Signal

The Push To Decriminalize Jaywalking

Supporters of decriminalization argue that jaywalking laws don’t keep pedestrians safe and disproportionately burden Black and brown communities with fines.

July 19, 2022 - Stateline

Nighttime view of pedestrianized street in Bethesda, maryland with benches and people walking

Montgomery County Planners Present Pedestrian Safety Proposals

The auto-centric county has been building new bike trails and pedestrian facilities, but more improvements are necessary to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths and injuries, planners say.

July 15, 2022 - The Washington Post

20 miles per hour speed limit sign in school zone

San Jose Begins Lowering Speed Limits

Thanks to a state bill, California cities can reduce speed limits on city streets by 5 miles per hour to improve traffic safety.

July 6, 2022 - San José Spotlight

The interior of a Tesla, with a large video screen. The person behind the wheel is touching the screen.

How Safe Are Autonomous Vehicles?

Federal regulators are just starting to gain an understanding of how vehicles with automation systems impact traffic safety.

June 17, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Pedestrian bridge over the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, California

Why So Many Pedestrians Die on Freeways

Close to one fifth of pedestrian deaths in the United States happen on controlled-access freeways, suggesting a critical need for safety improvements on major roads.

June 13, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Broadway Bike Lane

Seattle Remains Far From Its Vision Zero Goals

One Seattle councilmember is calling for more urgency in addressing the city’s rising traffic deaths.

June 9, 2022 - South Seattle Emerald

Two bicyclists on a street in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis Revises Complete Streets Ordinance

After the death of a well-known Indianapolis cyclist and growing pedestrian death rates, the city expanded on its 2012 Complete Streets ordinance to highlight equity and renew efforts to make streets safer.

June 9, 2022 - Indianapolis Star

Google Maps street view of Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia

Philadelphia Seeks Federal Funding to Improve One of its Deadliest Streets

Local officials hope to use federal infrastructure funding to make safety improvements on Roosevelt Boulevard, where more than a tenth of the city’s traffic deaths happen.

June 5, 2022 - Insurance Journal

Sunset view of Sarasota, Florida skyline

Sarasota To Reveal ‘Complete Streets’ Plan

The Florida city will make improvements on two downtown streets to make them safer and more pedestrian-friendly.

May 19, 2022 - Sarasota Magazine

Street Mural

Study: Street Murals Can Prevent Crashes

An analysis of asphalt art around the country indicates that painted intersections and roads can dramatically improve pedestrian safety.

May 5, 2022 - Greater Greater Washington

walkable street

Walkability Scores Don’t Tell the Whole Story

A new report concludes that common ‘walkability’ measures don’t account for many barriers faced by pedestrians, such as environmental factors and policing.

May 4, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Pedestrians

Leading Pedestrian Intervals an Effective, Low-Cost, Pedestrian Safety Solution

Bellevue, Washington is acting on the data and giving pedestrians head starts at busy intersections around in the city’s downtown.

April 28, 2022 - The Urbanist

Ghost Bike

Opinion: U.S. Must Prioritize Safety for Non-Drivers

The rise in cyclist and pedestrian deaths in the United States points to preventable failures in road design and regulations.

April 24, 2022 - The New York Times

Rendering of proposed improvements on California Avenue, Las Vegas

Las Vegas Arts District To Receive Complete Streets Makeover

The city is promising a safer environment for pedestrians in the Las Vegas Arts District to comply with their complete streets goals.

April 14, 2022 - City of Las Vegas

Austin Pedestrians

Vision Zero Is Largely a Failure in the United States. Why?

From NIMBYism to entrenched traffic engineering culture, a variety of complex obstacles have prevented Vision Zero advocates from achieving the movement’s goals in the U.S.

April 13, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Toddler walking on street

How Japanese Cities Enable Toddlers To Roam Independently

A TV show featuring young Japanese children going on errands on their own highlights the differences between Japanese and American urban design that enable even toddlers to safely navigate big cities.

April 13, 2022 - Slate

Rendering of slip lane with corner island

The Trouble With Slip Lanes

Right-turn lanes can make traffic flow more smoothly, but make roadway conditions more dangerous for pedestrians and other road users on non-motorized vehicles.

April 11, 2022 - Next STL

Pedestrian Safety

Report: U.S. Pedestrians Keep Dying at Higher Rates

Pedestrian deaths rose again in the first half of 2021, according to research from the Governors Highway Safety Administration.

April 10, 2022 - Governors Highway Safety Association

Google Maps street view of intersection of Romaine and Serrano in Los Angeles, California

DIY Crosswalks Appear in Hollywood

A group claiming the city of Los Angeles fails to protect pedestrians is taking action on their own, painting a set of crosswalks at a busy residential intersection.

April 4, 2022 - NPR

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.