Transit
New L.A. Planning Codes Could Create 'Transit Sprawl'
A new group of activists in Los Angeles is warning that recently approved changes to the city's planning code could make it easier for transit-related projects to be approved even if they are not in alignment with neighborhood planning documents.
Transit Tax Referendum May Be Blocked in Indiana
Voters in Indiana were set to vote on a referendum to raise money for an ambitious $2.4 billion transit plan, but now the state's Republican leaders say they'll block the effort.
Vancouver's Transit Options, With Pricetag
Mayors in metropolitan Vancouver are facing two options for expanding transit service in the region -- and a hard decision about how to generate the funding to make it happen.
Transit Bridge Rises in Portland
A new $135m bridge over the Willamette River will include designated lanes for pedestrians, bikes, and public transit vehicles, but not private cars.
The Future of Federal Transportation Planning in America
In this podcast, Next American City talks with Robert Puentes of the Brookings Institution about the future of transportation in America.
Misconceptions About Commute Times
Perceptions about the amount of time transit trips take have been found to fall significantly when people actually take transit, according to a new report.
Despite Expenses, Athens Enjoys Transit Legacy of 2004 Olympics
The 2004 Olympics in Athens burdened the city with underutilized venues and deep debt. But the event also vastly improved pedestrian and public transportation.
Dear Uncle Sam: Transit Design Really Does Matter
Over the past decade more than $75 billion in public dollars has been invested in rail transit. Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver alone are investing an additional $65 billion to expand their systems and enhance the livability of their communities. The federal government will be asked to play a major role in funding each of those systems. Up until now the federal role in major transit investments has largely avoided the question of how we ought to design our transit systems to be good neighbors and leverage livable communities.
Shifting Federal Transportation Dollars to Create More Jobs
Shifting federal transportation dollars to transit projects could help create up to 180,000 jobs and not raise the federal deficit, according to a new report.
Transit Planner Speaks Out Against Slashing Bus Service
A Portland transit planner from the days when buses were the primary means of getting around says the system is headed in the wrong direction and service is declining.
Scoring Your Transitability
A new online tool shows people how accessible their homes, neighborhoods, and businesses are to public transit.
Seattle Considers Transportation Tax District
Seattle has a long list of transportation projects on the drawing boards, but little money to bring them into reality. So local officials are considering a plan to create transportation taxing districts to help fund the projects.
Infrastructure Investment Stimulating Job Creation in Southern California
Major hubs of transportation and logistics are planning major capital investments in Southern California over the next several years.
Crazy Bus Concept from China
With mounting traffic and road space at a premium, a Chinese company is proposing a unusual new idea for public transportation -- a bus/light rail system that cars can drive underneath.
One Snapped Cable Fells Entire Transit System
In Melbourne, Australia, a frayed power line gave way today at Southern Cross Station. The resulting domino effect took out most of the city's transit system during the heavy morning commute.
$77 Billion Needed to Fix U.S. Transit
A new study by the Federal Transit Administration sets the price tag for getting the U.S.'s transit infrastructure up to snuff at 77.7 billion dollars.
Transit Discovers Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are becoming standard components of transit agencies' strategies for outreach and keeping riders informed.
Suburbia Isn't The Problem
John Jensen at the Seattle Transit blog makes a persuasive argument that the suburbs themselves aren't the problem - depedency on the automobile is.
Being Productive On The Bus
In a recent blog post (at http://www.planetizen.com/node/44518) Steven Polzin argues that drivers are more productive because they get places faster. His post, in turn, generated an avalanche of critiques noting the negative externalities of auto travel (e.g. pollution, death and injury from traffic accidents, health costs of obesity, etc.). But what I'd like to address is something else: the positive productivity benefits of transit use. Let's suppose that it takes me 30 minutes to reach destination X on the bus, and 15 minutes by car. Obviously, the car is more productive. Right?
The Cost of Slow Travel
One of the most widely cited numbers in contemporary transportation media coverage and policy discussions is the cost of congestion estimates that Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) annually produces as part of the Urban Mobility Report series. The 2009 version of that report (http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/) shows an estimate of the cost of congestion of $87.4 Billion for the top 439 U.S.
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
