The Second Avenue Subway: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help
I WON'T lie: the newsletter drew me in. I was interested as soon as I saw it lying on the counter at a relative's...
Bob Crow: Union man
SOME people would resent being treated as the pantomime villain of London politics. Not Bob Crow, who died early this morning. The leader of...
The Economist explains: Why trams are a waste of money
STREETCARS—otherwise known as trolleys or trams—had their golden age around 100 years ago, carrying urban workers to nascent suburbs around Europe and America. But...
Streetcars and urban renewal: Rolling blunder
LATE and over budget, streetcars are finally rumbling to life in Washington, DC. The long-awaited service, which has cost at least $135m to build,...
Sharing a lift: Carpooling uber alles
“MARK my word,” Henry Ford declared in 1940, “A combination of airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile, but it will come.” No...
Atlanta’s new trams: All aboard!
A TINY scarlet hut on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Thelma’s Kitchen and Rib Shack, serves up world-beating catfish and grits. Demand for its grub...
Laggard on the lake: Toronto’s mayor tries to improve transport
FEW cities these days have the cachet of Toronto. It ranks high on lists of the world’s most “liveable” cities (the Economist Intelligence Unit,...
Etiquette on public transport: Spread ’em
THERE is a reason why men tend to spread their legs as wide as they can when they ride on public transport. It’s just...
Vancouver: More tax, less traffic?
VANCOUVER is the best place to live in the Americas, according to a quality-of-life ranking published earlier this month by Mercer, a consulting firm....
Subways in America: Gangway, please
IN LATE 2013, New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) released a comprehensive report on its capital investment needs for the next two decades. Buried...
Latest articles
Pedestrians First Tool Guides Cities on the Path to Walkability
Walking is the world’s most common mode of transportation. Everyone, regardless of how they travel, is also a pedestrian, as most trips begin and...
Playing politics with safety: “Anarchist” transit agencies caught in the crossfire
In blocking New York City, Portland, and Seattle from receiving Federal Transit Administration research grants, the Trump Administration is using arbitrary and politically-motivated pretext...
We’ll never address climate change without reducing how much we drive
With transportation accounting for the largest share of carbon emissions in the U.S., we’ll never achieve ambitious climate targets or create more livable and...
If we want equitable smart cities, we need support from philanthropy
Everyone agrees that smart cities—places that deploy technology to deliver government services and improve quality of life—are the future. City leaders and staff are...
