Car-Centric Planning

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Traffic

Study: Without Fewer Cars, Cities Will be 'Overrun by Gridlock'

Local leaders must invest in public transit and other incentives to reduce the number of private vehicles and congestion in cities.

July 15, 2021 - Gizmodo

Dallas Freeway Removal

The Freeway Removal Cause Gains Momentum—But Don't Forget Gentrification and Displacement

The case for freeway in urban areas isn't as unequivocal as it might seem. Plans to undo the damage of the legacies of past freeway planning need to ensure an inclusive future.

July 14, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Traffic

A Critical Evaluation of the Urban Mobility Report

The Urban Mobility Report (UMR) evaluates traffic congestion problems and recommends congestion reduction solutions. How well does it reflect travelers' priorities?

July 13, 2021 - Todd Litman

Road Construction

Wales to Cease Road Construction Projects in Bid to Achieve Net Zero Emissions

The Welsh government is taking a bold stand for climate action.

June 24, 2021 - The Guardian

Traffic Fatality Demographics

U.S. Traffic Fatalities Increased Most for Black Americans During the Pandemic

Two new reports confirm the racial disparities of traffic violence in the United States, revealing more proof about who stayed home during the pandemic, and who was forced to navigate the risks of the pandemic in public.

June 22, 2021 - CNN Business

Westwood, Los Angeles

Reducing Car Trips in L.A.: Transportation Demand Management Ordinance Could Be Expanded

The proposed expansion would affect smaller multi-family developments and include incentives for reducing travel during peak hours and encouraging transit, walking, and biking.

June 17, 2021 - Urbanize Los Angeles

Williamsburg Bridge

15 of the 'Worst Highways in America'

The Congress for the New Urbanism's "Freeways Without Future 2021" report leverages the current political moment by spotlighting 15 U.S highways for removal.

June 15, 2021 - CNU Public Square

City Kids

The 5 Worst Streets in Seattle

Want to know which streets are most likely to produce a negative emotional response among Seattle transportation safety advocates? Read on.

June 13, 2021 - The Stanger

CityMap Deck Park

TxDOT Promises to Reverse Some of the Damage Caused by Urban Freeways in Dallas

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is in the early stages of planning for two projects that could leverage plans to rebuild two freeways in the city with plan to reconnect the neighborhoods they severed.

June 8, 2021 - The Dallas Morning News

New York City Open Streets

The Next Mayor Will Have to Decide in New York's Post-Pandemic Parking Conflicts

The ongoing political controversy about the priorities of the public realm in New York City is likely to last into the next mayoral administration.

June 8, 2021 - The New York Times

Interstate Highway

L.A. Metro Denounces—but Doesn't Scrap—710 Freeway Expansion Plan

The agency's board members spoke out forcefully against air pollution and displacement, but stopped short of completely rejecting the project, looking instead to cleaner vehicles and regulations that mitigate community concerns.

June 7, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Raleigh

Planners Working on Parking Reform Legislation in Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina is the latest in a series of cities pursuing a significant departure from the 20th century planning status quo.

June 4, 2021 - The News & Observer

Downtown Seattle

I-5 Widening Kicks Off in Downtown Seattle

Congestion relief is promised as the Washington Department of Transportation begins to rework the existing I-5 roadway in Downtown Seattle to mitigate a stretch of freeway with a reputation as the state's worst bottleneck.

May 18, 2021 - The Seattle Times

Car Culture

If You Build It, Cars Will Come: the Common-Sense Logic of 'Induced Demand'

Highway expansion has been shown, time and again, to increase traffic and congestion. Cities are finally getting the message.

May 14, 2021 - Governing

Downtown St. Paul

Parking Reforms Under Consideration in St. Paul

Two options for significant parking reforms are under consideration in St. Paul. The City Council could decide to eliminate parking requirements entirely as soon as this summer.

May 13, 2021 - Pioneer Press

Highway Widening

Maryland's Controversial Highway Widening Proposal Scaled Back

Interstate 270, the Capital Beltway, will no longer by widened as part of the I-495/I-270 Managed Lanes Project.

May 13, 2021 - Bethesda Magazine

Freeway Interchange Construction

GOP Counterproposal Aims to Restore the Infrastructure Status Quo

Of the $568 billion in spending proposed by the "Republican Roadmap," $299 billion would go to infrastructure for cars.

April 25, 2021 - Bloomberg

Nashville

Op-Ed: Don't Reverse the Progress Made by 'Pandemic Streets'

In many cities, the public realm saw a drastic shift towards pedestrian-oriented infrastructure. The L.A. Times editorial board argues we should keep it that way.

April 19, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Rhode Island Interstate 95

The Foundational Myth of America's Interstate Highway System

The erroneous belief that the negative impacts of interstate highways are simply "unintended consequences" fails to demand accountability for the project's failures.

April 14, 2021 - The Metropole

Pennsylvania Trucks

PennDOT Sees Dollars for Interstate Widenings in Biden's Jobs Plan

Despite the narrative about infrastructure spending priorities shifting toward emissions-reducing investments in the American Jobs Plan, the car-centric status quo expects more of the same.

April 13, 2021 - CBS 21

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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