It’s easy to look past the easier route that Brightline has taken to build out their intercity passenger rail lines. In Florida, they took an existing route, the FEC, and are building in the desert between Las Vegas and Southern California to much fanfare. There are probably some lessons there for running passenger rail and

This week on Monday’s we’re Han Solo, but don’t let the smuggler fool you, we’ve got some great loot in the cargo hold.  We chat about states focusing on shifting road funds to active transportation, a Brooklyn apartment building put together like a lego set, and a battery fire used to oppose batteries. Lots of

This week we’re joined by Kyle Paoletta to talk about his book American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest. We discuss the growth and history of southwestern US cities, how indigenous people didn’t disappear but adapted, the importance of language and identity, and climate adaptation lessons for cities from the driest

How are you all holding up? You good? Big hugs. So I know where I live, San Francisco, is easy to pick on. Our leaders can sometimes do dumb stuff and vote for things that seem to the rest of the country like they are out of touch. Our new Mayor just bought himself an

For as long as I can remember starting in undergrad, I was hearing about the death of distance theory and how technology would bring us closer together. Telecommuting was going to be the answer to our transportation problems but as we learn more from the impacts of the pandemic it can be a double edged

This week on Talking Headways we’re joined by Congressman Rick Larsen of Washington State, Ranking Member for the Democrats on the House Transportation Committee. We chat about USDOT’s recent guidance for stripping sustainable projects of funding and why active transportation advocates should focus on safety. Find committee hearing schedules here.  Find the TNI Democrats page

I think there will forever be a fight between those who argue over what sprawl is and isn’t. Even now the debate rages on in New Urbanist circles and other professional forums. In my personal opinion it doesn’t have to do necessarily with street design or the compactness of development but the degree to which

This week we’re Han Solo, but we talk about trends in state preemption, state capacity and road project costs, the possible death of the North Star commuter rail line, and how utility companies in California can’t cry takings when transit projects ask them to move equipment. Links to the items we chatted about below the

This week on the Talking Headways podcast Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute is back again for Part 2 of our annual discussion. This week we make predictions! We look at what we predicted last year and what might happen in 2025. To listen to this episode (or Part 1) visit Streetsblog USA or the

I’m seeing a few talking point trends on transportation funding in the next transportation bill reauthorization that are a bit concerning. First while many of us were focused on the birth rate/marriage rate funding discussion, there was another section piece in those initial memos that stood out to me that might be easier to slip