Transportation
Does Transportation Funding Violate the Civil Rights Act?
The Great City blog argues that Washington State's 18th Amendment "violates the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964, perpetuating discrimination in the state's transportation system."
FedEx Testing Electric Tricycles for Deliveries
The global courier has transformed the way packages are delivered around Paris by deploying large eco-friendly tricycles that go beyond the curb.
New York Street Redesign Aims to Improve Safety
The Wall Street Journal reports on an extensive street redesign plan in New York City to be completed by 2030. The plan is aimed at an especially dangerous area.
Residents Who Live Near Public Transportation Live Healthier, Longer Lives
Study indicates that public transit improvements and more transit oriented development can provide large but often overlooked health benefits.
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.
Can "Webinars" Make Planning Workshops Obsolete?
Can planners effectively use on-line meeting technology to host public participation workshops? The City of Los Angeles' Department of City Planning recently decided to find out for itself by experimenting with a "webinar" format for two kickoff workshops highlighting the City's 2010 draft citywide Bicycle Plan. A webinar is a web conference, where participants can access a virtual meeting using a computer and Internet connection. Participants access a website to see the presente's computer screen and also listen to the presenter through the computer's speakers or using a telephone.
Better Transportation Options to Relieve Inequality in Latin America
Safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable public transport options could be integral in addressing inequality in Latin America.
Walkability Makes You Healthier and Wealthier
Conrad deFiebre sums up the benefits of living in a walkable neighborhood, from improved health to improved wealth, both via higher property values and less of hard-earned dollars paid out to oil and car companies.
Free Rides on Bangkok's New Bus Rapid Transit System
All summer long the newly installed BRT in Bangkok will offer free rides to passengers as the kinks are worked out of the system.
Jan Gehl's Ten Principals For Liveability
Kaid Benfield introduces Jan Gehl and Walter Hook's principals to promote "environmentally sustainable and socially equitable transportation worldwide."
New Urbanist Ideas Can Improve Public Health
"A once radical idea - that health and urbanism are so deeply entwined that investing in the latter may improve the former -- is beginning to find broad adoption," concludes Fast Company. Greg Lindsay charts the realization of this relationship.
Kentucky's Second Sunday Ciclovia Takes Flight
Jay McChord is as energetic and passionate a person as you’ll find in America. While many know him as a generational communication consultant, a Lexington, Kentucky City Councilman, or even as a former University of Kentucky “Wildcat” mascot, livable streets advocates should know him as the chief architect of the only statewide ciclovia program in the United States: Kentucky’s (2S) initiative (http://www.2ndsundayky.com/index.htm).
Are High Speed Rail and Renewable Energy "Liberal Fantasies"?
Michael Lind of the New America Foundation thinks that plans for high-speed rail and renewable energy are expensive fantasies that liberals need to give up on as soon as possible.
Five Observations from Three Years in China
I’ve spent much of the last three years working on transportation finance and planning issues in China, and Reason Foundation now has transportation policy projects up and running in the cities of Chongqing, Xi’an, and Beijing.
I Like the Choo-Choos That Go Fast
These days, I have more in common with my nephew Sam than just about anyone else. He just turned 3. Sam is a train fanatic. Sure, he loves the children’s classics—Thomas the Tank Engine, the Polar Express—but he can also tell you about the Eurostar and the Shinkansen. His recent first ride on Amtrak was like his locomotive bar mitzvah: Today, I am a passenger. I’ve spent all semester working on a studio project making the case for true high-speed rail in the Northeast megaregion. I picked the studio because, like Sam, I’m thrilled by trains, but an added perk is that every time I come with some new picture or factoid about the big, fast choo-choos, I move up a notch in the running for Uncle of the Year.
Cable Cars See Increased Usage As Transit In Developing World
Low-cost, high capacity urban gondolas and cable cars are being successfully used as public transit and tools of urban revitalization in Colombia, Algeria and other parts of the developing world.
New Scorecard From NY DOT: Driving in Decline, Safety Improvements Work
New York City's second annual Sustainable Streets Index adds a wealth of data in support of green transportation and street safety.
DC Announces Four New Cycletracks
After the success of the protected bike lane, or "cycletrack" on 15th Street NW, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has begun discussing plans for four additional protected lanes around Northwest DC.
Should Planners Always Strive for Efficiency?
The backlash against red-light cameras provide a cautionary tale for those who want to cut costs and raise revenue through technology.
Cities Prepare for Electric Cars
San Francisco, Portland, and San Diego lead the charge to ensure everything from power grids to building codes are prepared for arrival of electric cars.
Pagination
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