Category: Analysis

Sheep in Wolf's Clothing: A Gillig bus, normally used in local service, wrapped with the BRT scheme for temporary use on the Red Line. Photo credit Eoin on Wikimedia Commons.

Solving BRT Creep

Ian Gaida • April 5, 2024

NIMBYs hate him! Learn the one neat trick to regional transit planning that traffic engineers don’t want you to know!

Minneapolis Police car on Nicollet Avenue. Photo by Chad Davis on Flickr under CC BY 2.0 DEED.

Every Map Is the Same Map: ShotSpotter Edition

Pine Salica • March 28, 2024

A leaked map of gunshot detection systems in Minneapolis looks disappointingly similar to other city maps, and demonstrates familiar systemic biases.

A bus on the world's longest guided busway in Cambridge, UK. Image by Ed Webster via Wikimedia.

We Need to Talk About Bus Rapid Transit Creep

Ian Gaida • March 12, 2024

Who benefits when our bus rapid transit projects keep being gutted of most BRT features and we insist on still calling them BRT?

Listen, we know it sounds cool, but a hyperloop from the Twin Cities to Rochester is about as close to happening as a Led Zeppelin reunion, complete with Bonham.

The Emperor Has no Hyperloop

Ian Gaida • February 16, 2024

A rapid-transit option from the Twin Cities to Rochester sounds great, but for so, so many reasons, hyperloop ain’t it.

Rickshaws and electric bikes dotted the streets and sidewalks of downtown Phoenix, where the Mpact Conference was held. Mark Dorris, pictured here, is a pianist and singer who likes giving people short rides on the back of his musical Rad Rover. You can find him on Instagram at @shire.song.

Ten Active Transportation Trends to Watch in 2024: Lessons from Mpact

Sherry Johnson • January 29, 2024

After hosting a workshop where participants identified trends in active transportation, our writer predicts what to watch for in 2024 and beyond.

The Wells Fargo Center in Minneapolis, the Willis Tower in Chicago, and the view from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

The Midwest: A Sleeping Giant for American Passenger Rail

Jesse Cook • December 28, 2023

A robust nationwide passenger rail network may be a tall order, but take heart! The Midwest is perfectly positioned to develop its own strong regional rail system.

Image: Dave Reid via Flickr

Chart of the Day: Supply and Demand in Action

Ian Gaida • November 13, 2023

Data show that the most effective form of rent control is the one we’ve already implemented, though in a stop-and-go fashion: build abundant housing.

Faith Krogstad and her son, Espen Krogstad, testify before the Metropolitan Council. (Photo courtesy of the Met Council)

With Met Council Win, Summit Avenue Trail Plan Enters a New Phase

Ed Steinhauer • November 7, 2023

The Summit Avenue Regional Trail project has passed the final stage of the approval process. Here’s a recap of what it overcame to get this far, and what hurdles remain.

A trolleybus in Seattle's Chinatown. Photo by SounderBruce, CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed.

Dr. Strangebus or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Trolleybus

Ian Gaida • October 19, 2023

Take a rollicking ride through the history of mass transit (or at least the trolleybus) through the lens and language of science fiction.

Capitol Hill Books in Denver, where the author found a copy of Urban Community Development, published in 1978. Photos from Google Streetview and author.

What They Learned in the 1970s

Pat Thompson • October 18, 2023

Nine guidelines for organizations trying to make change in cities and neighborhoods — from a 1978 book on urban community development.