Why Keep Doing “Good” Things if They Make Me Feel So Bad?

Two radically different bus trips highlight a common conundrum for supporters of public transit.

Emma Durand-Wood, Top StoryEmma Durand-WoodMay 25, 2023bus, buses, transit, transportation, public transportation, canada 4 Comments

The Federal Government’s Congestion Mitigation Money Almost Paid for a Parking Garage

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is concerned about decreased ridership on public transit... So, why is it pushing for time and money to be spent on more car infrastructure?

News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoMay 11, 2023transit, transportation, infrastructure, garages, end parking mandates and subsidies, pennsylvania, public transportation 1 Comment

E-Scooters: A So-So Product in a Terrible Market

The news of Paris restricting e-scooters has been widely criticized by urbanists and mobility advocates across the web. Here’s why it might not be such a bad call, after all.

Top StorySteffen BerrApril 25, 2023Mobility, transportation, public transportation, scooters, e-scooters, safe and productive streets, europe 19 Comments

Warren Buffett Doesn’t Like Spending on Streetcars (but Has No Problem With Crazy Highway Spending)

Warren Buffet has broken his practice of “staying out of local politics" to criticize a streetcar project in his home city of Omaha, NE…but why does he have nothing to say on the city’s ridiculous and reckless highway projects?

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnJanuary 30, 2023public transportation, Streetcars, finance, investing, public investment, highways, Nebraska, end highway expansion, local economy 7 Comments

Don’t Just Add Trains, Sidewalks, and Bike Lanes to Your City

…Because effective public transit isn’t just about the rails; it’s about what happens around them.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedJanuary 3, 2023transit, New Mexico, transportation, car dependency, public transportation 30 Comments

Why Is It So Expensive To Build Public Transit in the U.S.?

An NYU research group has found that the cost of constructing a subway in New York is double what it costs in Tokyo and 10 times what it costs in Paris. Let’s unpack why this is the case.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 16, 2022podcast, transportation, transit, upzoned, new york, public transportation 1 Comment

Planes, Trains, and Buses

Stranded with a dying phone and no car, our Neighborhood Storyteller relies this week on public transit and the kindness of strangers to get where she needs to go.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenOctober 2, 2022neighborhood storyteller, bus, buses, public transportation, transportation, transit 1 Comment

If You Want People to Use Public Transit, Connect the Places Where People Want to Walk

The Strong Towns team got together recently and used some of Minneapolis’s public transit. Here’s our reflections from that experience.

Top StoryJay StangeAugust 23, 2022transit, public transportation, transportation, Not Just Bikes, minnesota 3 Comments

Not Just Bikes and Strong Towns: What America Keeps Getting Wrong About Public Transit

Why is it that in the U.S. and Canada, we're always being told that we can't justify the ridership for transit projects? And why is it that when we do build transit, it struggles to gain riders?

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 15, 2022podcast, Not Just Bikes, transit, suburban transit, canada, transportation, public transportation, europe 3 Comments

Indianapolis Transit Design Prioritizes People Over Parking

Leadership in Indianapolis has taken strides toward lifting parking minimums, and making their city less car dependent and more transit friendly—all while keeping their fiscal house in order.

Top StoryKerry HayesAugust 2, 2022transit, car dependency, incrementalism, buses, Light Rail, transportation, success stories, urban3, indiana, infrastructure, public transportation 4 Comments

Our Year Without a Car (With Kids)

It’s not easy to live without a car when you have young children, but it’s certainly possible. Plus, having to walk can help you build unexpected connections with your community.

Top StoryGrace OlmsteadJuly 19, 2022walkability, children, bus, buses, community, public transportation, europe 9 Comments

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Transit Edition)

Don’t be fooled: Winnipeg’s newly proposed “rapid transit” project is actually a road-widening project in disguise. And it aims to borrow money so the City can destroy millions of dollars of its own tax base.

Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodJune 27, 2022transit, canada, transportation, transportation spending, public transportation, finance, financial solvency, municipal finance, infrastructure, member story, end highway expansion, local economy, growth ponzi scheme Be the First to Comment

Less Parking Lots, More People Space

This interactive map allows you to view just how much space is being wasted in your city (and in the rest of the U.S.) on parking lots.

Top StoryKatya KisinJune 20, 2022parking minimums, car culture, car dependency, maps, mapping, urban design, transit, history, minnesota, end parking mandates and subsidies, public transportation 6 Comments

The Artist Date

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller explores the important joy of simply being in public amongst one’s community members.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMarch 29, 2022neighborhood storyteller, montana, public space, coffee shops, public transportation 2 Comments

High Gas Prices Are Just One Symptom of a Much Greater Problem

When gas prices spike, the core issue we, as a nation, should be fixating on is car dependency.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMarch 17, 2022gas tax, transportation, transit, fragility, cars, car dependency, public transportation 11 Comments

Red Light, Green Light, No Insight

When we hand our whole transportation system to engineers, we shouldn’t be surprised that the values of their profession override the values of the public. It’s time for a new paradigm.