Ideas for Improving Transit
MPC’s Transit Innovations project sparks fresh thinking about public transportation planning, management and finance strategies and elevates decision-makers’ expectations about the value of expanding and improving transportation options to keep Chicagoland attractive and economically competitive. Through the bi-weekly e-newsletter Talking Transit and the Bombardier Peer Exchange, an international sharing of transit models being developed and used in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Stockholm and Berlin, MPC is exploring innovative ways to mitigate congestion, connect jobs, retail and homes, increase road and transit capacity, improve transportation financing, and plan for the region’s future.
Talking Transit monthly newsletter
Each month in Talking Transit, a bi-weekly e-newsletter, MPC provides updates about transit-related activities around the world. Sign up for Talking Transit, at www.metroplanning.org/personalize.asp.
Past issues are available >>
Articles
Transit takes center stage during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games-
- Tonight, the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games will kick off in Vancouver, Canada. More than 6,800 athletes representing 80 countries will compete in a series of events that will reach an audience of three billion television viewers worldwide. Olympic organizers are expecting more than a…
- MPC's response to 'Privatize Illinois' tollways? Voters say no'
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- Update: This letter to the editor ran in the Chicago Tribune on Feb. 9.
The Jan. 26 cover story, “Privatize Illinois tollways? Voters say no,” identified several important issues related to privatizing existing public assets. While private operators may raise tolls, a fair lease…
The fast track to high-speed rail-
- Today, President Obama announced the recipients of $8 billion in high-speed rail grants allocated to 31 states along 13 major rail corridors. The Midwest Region was awarded almost $2.6 billion for four major corridors: Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City, Minneapolis-Milwaukee-Chicago,…
MPC by the numbers, 2009-
- From jobless rates to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, from Illinois’ budget gap to foreclosure trends, news reports in 2009 were awash with gloomy figures. It’s been a challenging year, and the numbers don’t lie.
Yet, fortunately, they rarely tell the whole…
- Transportation for America hiring Illinois field organizer
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- Transportation for America is seeking a smart and motivated individual to grow an active field operation in Illinois, as part of a national campaign. The Illinois Field Organizer will direct the day-to-day development of a diverse coalition of prominent state and local organizations working in key…
Multimedia
Transportation Investment Accountability Act
HB 4768: A results-based approach to transportation spending-
- Publication
- (42 KB)
- February 19, 2010
- HB 4768 will create the State Transportation Policy Committee, which will work with the Illinois Dept. of Transportation (IDOT) to ensure transportation investments will enhance state and local economic development, and quality of life for Illinois residents. The goals of the bill will create…
Dispatches from Berlin: What American Cities Can Learn from Berlin-
- Listen to this recording of MPC's Nov. 3, 2009, roundtable, which featured a panel discussion with three of the 10 transportation and regional planning professionals from New York, Chicago and San Francisco who attended a Peer Exchange in Berlin, Germany. The panelists discussed highlights from…
Traffic Costs Chicago Area $7.3 Billion a Year-
- Video
- (1:52)
- September 4, 2009
- Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) Vice President of External Relations Peter Skosey discusses discusses mpc's recent report, "Moving at the Speed of Congestion," which quantifies the true cost of traffic to metropolitan Chicago. This video was recorded in August 2008, in conjunction with the…
- Around the World in 90 Minutes: Infrastructure Best Practices Across the Globe
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- Hear about global planning and development trends from knowledgeable, well-traveled pros, in this 90-minute “whirlwind tour." Panelists at this MPC roundtable luncheon discussed real estate, transportation, and other infrastructure best practices.
- Rebuilding and Renewing America: Infrastructure Choices in the Great Lakes Megaregion
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- Listen to a series of audio recordings from this Nov. 17, 2008, symposium, organized by MPC and New York’s Regional Plan Association, through which attendees began to identify and prioritize strategic investments in transportation, water, and energy to be included in a national infrastructure…
Links
- American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
- To strengthen and improve public transportation, APTA serves and leads its diverse membership through advocacy, innovation, and information sharing. The APTA web site has a wealth of information and statistics about public transportation in the U.S. More info »
- The Infrastructurist: America Under Construction
- The Infrastructurist is a daily blog featuring news and commentary on infrastructure planning in the U.S. Contributors to The Infrastructurist include editor Jebediah Reed, as well as politicians, academics, representatives of major industry and advocacy groups, and journalists. More info »
- Streetsblog
- Streetsblog is a daily news source, online community, and political mobilizer for the worldwide Livable Streets movement, working to transform our cities by reducing dependence on private automobiles and improving conditions for cyclists, pedestrians and transit riders. More info »
- Planetizen
- Planetizen is a public-interest information exchange provided by Urban Insight for the urban planning, design, and development community. Interchange is Planetizen’s daily blog featuring opinions and commentary from leaders in the field on all things relating to the built environment. More info »
More related links »
