The Great American Dream of cruising down the parkway, zipping from here to there at any time has given way to a true nightmare that is destroying the environment, costing billions and deeply impacting our personal well-being. Jeffrey Tumlin’s new…
Megapolitan America: A New Vision for Understanding America’s Metropolitan Geography
In our popular imagination, America is the land of wide-open spaces. But in reality, much of it is more densely populated than Europe. Two-thirds of the U.S. population lives on less than 20% of the privately owned land. With an…
How Much, How Far, How Many: New Online Tool Puts California & Other State Facts And Figures At Your Fingertips
Have you ever needed to quickly put your finger on statewide transportation statistics? What percentage of Californians use public transit when commuting to work? How many transit fatalities were there in California in 2009? What percentage of California drivers use of safety belts? …
40 Years Ago This Week: Groundbreaking For El Monte Busway — California’s First Multi-Modal System & The World’s First Bus Rapid Transit Station
January 21st marks the anniversary of groundbreaking for the 11-mile long El Monte Busway and planning for what was billed as the “world’s first bus rapid transit station.” U.S. Transportation Secretary John A. Volpe officiated at ceremonies marking commencement of construction…
100 Years Ago Today: The California State Highway Commission, Caltrans Predecessor, Is Launched
The year starts off with a look back one full century to the birth of highway planning in the state. On January 2, 1912, the seven division engineers of the California State Highway Commission met for the first time. The Commission…
Regional Planning For A Sustainable America: How Creative Programs Are Promoting Prosperity And Saving The Environment
Carleton K. Montgomery’s Regional Planning for a Sustainable America is the first book to represent the great variety of today’s effective regional planning programs, analyzing dozens of regional initiatives across North America. The American landscape is being transformed by poorly…
100 Years Ago Today: Pacific Electric Railway Reaches Van Nuys, Launching “Wonderful Growth” In The San Fernando Valley
Today marks another auspicious local transportation anniversary – a century ago, the first streetcars rolled into the small outlying town of Van Nuys. On December 16, 1911, Pacific Electric Railway Company launched its service to the San Fernando Valley. Van…
New And Powerful Transportation Research Tool: Metro Library Launches Robust Catalog Portal
Just in time for the holidays, we are pleased to make this major announcement: This afternoon, we rolled out our new online public access catalog. Times change — and so does technology. After 11 years with our previous system, it…
Policy In Motion: Transportation Planning In California After AB 32
While state and federal actions have been taken to set new requirements for vehicle efficiency and fuels, tackling travel behavior policies that reduce vehicle-miles-traveled and improve transportation network management is needed if California is to reduce its transportation sector’s 38%…
90 Years Ago Today: Los Angeles Railway Rolls Out “Information Men” Public Service
The December 5, 1921 issue of the Los Angeles Railway employee newsmagazine posed the question: “How would you like to be an information man?” An article titled “Information Men Help L.A., They’ll Tell The World!” appeared in Two Bells. Ninety…
High Line: The Inside Story Of New York City’s Park In The Sky
The High Line, a new park atop an elevated rail structure on Manhattan’s West Side, is among the most innovative urban reclamation projects in memory. The story of how it came to be is a remarkable one: two young citizens…