Traffic
Rail Crossings Exacerbating Traffic Concerns
As the city of Houston is growing, car traffic and rail traffic are also growing. The conflict between the two will be very expensive to resolve.
Using Technology to Create Better Traffic Counts
Tired of standing on a street corner to count traffic? Technology is automating traffic counts and providing more detailed and accurate data to support planning.
When a Freeway Goes Bad
At some point, in places all over the country, freeways stopped working as they were intended. What can be done to improve one of the great frustrations of life with a car?
Next Steps for the City of Freeways
It is difficult to imagine a time when Los Angeles' freeways symbolized access, efficiency, and modernity. Now that the city's love affair with freeways is nearly spent, what future do we envision for them?
The Failure of Preservation
Attempts to limit new construction to preserve neighborhood character are an example of "beggar thy neighbor" politics.
Placemeter Provides New Ways to Measure Traffic
In the ongoing quest to better measure the use of streets by all modes—a new tool could be a game changer for transportation engineers, planners, and advocates alike.
Too Big for Texas? Houston's 23-Lane Freeway
After a $2.3 billion widening project, traffic once again chokes the Katy Freeway's 23 lanes. For road spending critics who are also taxpayers, this I-told-you-so moment is bittersweet.
Stiff Opposition to San Diego Mixed-Use Mega-Project
In February, the city council approved One Paseo, a 1.4 million-square-foot mix of offices, residences, retail, and entertainment. The project's detractors have forced a referendum, putting a kink in San Diego's urbanist planning ambitions.
The New L.A. Story: Waze Partners with City; Neighbors Get Upset
A partnership between Waze and the city of Los Angeles has prompted a cry of "not on the street in front of my frontyard!" from residential neighborhoods around the city.
Charlotte Confronts Big Asphalt
For the Charlotte Observer, Ely Portillo reports on a forum calling for urbanist reforms and doubts whether auto-loving residents will be receptive.
On the Psychology of Road Rage
Few of us are fully immune from the effects of road rage. Psychologists are asking why driving can provoke changes in behavior—and how to avert them.
How Austin Paved Paradise and Put up a Parking Lot
A local blogger takes umbrage with claims that Austin's density is causing its traffic problems. The obvious problem with that argument: Austin is 68% as dense now as it was in 1950.
Auto Use Holds Steady in San Francisco
Even as innovations like ridesharing take hold in tech-friendly San Francisco, the percentage of trips taken by personal auto is stuck at just under 50 percent.
Mapping U.S. Highway Intensity
A new map from Mapbox visualizes traffic on all roads eligible for highway safety funds by combining data available through the Highway Performance Monitoring System on OpenStreetMap.
Private Cellphone Data and the Next Frontier of Urban Planning
A survey of the quickly broadening reach of data about the movement of traffic reveals the next step necessary to achieve congestion nirvana: unfettered access to private cell phone data.
Traffic 'Crisis' in the Birthplace of Jesus
If Jesus and Mary came to Bethlehem in 2014, they'd be frustrated by high levels of congestion before finding a place to settle down for the night.
Significant Jump in California Driving
Mirroring a previously reported increase in gasoline consumption in California, the vehicle miles traveled increase over last year is the largest in a decade. The reasons are the same: cheaper gas and an improved economy with more people working.
Secrets of Congestion-Busting Cities
Only nine regions experienced reduced traffic congestion between 1991 and 2011. What do they have in common?
The Impact of Metro Freight Trade on Congestion
Although the holidays cause millions more drivers to hit the road, delays in traffic may also stem from the congestion of goods movements by truck, both locally and across the country.
When Nuisance Suits Are a Nuisance
In one Texas case, homeowners are suing a new apartment building for nuisance. If such suits become common, infill development will become less common, causing higher rents and more citywide vehicle traffic.
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 Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
