The Lost Art of Exploring

Car-oriented cities give us speed but rob us of the joy of discovery.

Owens, Top Story, TrendingTiffany Owens ReedAugust 1, 2023car culture, texas, walkability, transit, cities 1 Comment

With Parking Reimagined, Tysons, Virginia, Lurches Toward Livability

Change has been slower than expected in car-oriented Tysons, Virginia, in the past decade, despite Fairfax Country’s multi-modal goals. But new lower parking minimums for developments around transit could help.

Top StoryMichael DranoveJuly 28, 2023transit, parking minimums, virginia, end parking mandates and subsidies Be the First to Comment

Envisioning a Rail Culture for the U.S.

Conventional wisdom holds that the U.S. doesn’t know how to do rail—but Union Station shows that we do, in fact, have a history and the knowledge to build grand public transportation systems.

Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtJuly 7, 2023rail, public transportation, transit 9 Comments

How Wooden Benches Breathed Life Back Into an Emaciated Transit System

When this Texan city’s bus system fell into decline, local advocates took the next smallest (but highly effective) step toward making their public transit more hospitable: by installing homemade bus benches.

Community Stories, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoJuly 5, 2023bus, buses, transit, little bets, tactical urbanism, success stories, texas, safe and productive streets, public transportation, small bets 1 Comment

In Philadelphia, the I-95 Collapse Is Igniting a Conversation About Transit

On June 11, 2023, a tanker truck caught fire in Northeast Philadelphia, killing its driver and devastating over 100 feet of Interstate 95 above it. Now the city is reconsidering its dependency on the highway.

News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoJune 28, 2023highways, freeways, transit, rail, end highway expansion, pennsylvania, public transportation Be the First to Comment

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

Can Expanding Roads Solve Homelessness?

A recent advertising insert in the Winnipeg Free Press would have us believe that road expansion will solve not only homelessness, but crime and addiction, as well. Let's investigate these lofty claims.

Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodApril 26, 2023transportation spending, active transportation, transit, canada, highways, highway spending, freeway widening, economic growth, end highway expansion, homeless 2 Comments

What's It Like Being Stranded in Your City? (Part 2)

In walkable cities, it’s not hard to find a solution if you find yourself stranded. But what about in a car-dependent place?

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedApril 4, 2023travel, urban design, hospitality, car dependency, auto-oriented, transit, texas, europe 1 Comment

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

Don’t Pause the Gas Tax, Redirect It

Congressman Jake Auchincloss: "We don't need a gas tax holiday. We need a gas tax reset: an overhaul of how we approach transportation funding.”

Top StoryCongressman Jake AuchinclossJuly 25, 2022Congress, walkability, federal government, federal transportation bill, transportation, transportation spending, gas tax, development, development pattern, suburban experiment, transit, infrastructure 7 Comments

City Wants To Transform 14-Mile-Long Stroad

This vital corridor in El Paso is getting a makeover!

Top StoryRobert SteutevilleJuly 7, 2022road diet, streets, Street Design, streetscape, roads, safety, success stories, transportation, transit, suburban retrofit, texas, stroad, safe and productive streets Be the First to Comment

Here’s Why We Respond in Force to One Amtrak Crash While Ignoring Thousands of Daily Car Crashes

A top-down approach to addressing accidents fails to make streets safer. A local approach could change that.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 5, 2022car crash, Crash Analysis Studio, safety, cars, transportation, top-down, bottom-up, streets, Street Design, engineers, traffic engineering, roads, transit, safe and productive streets 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.