SPUR Lunchtime Forum: A field guide to transit debates: A conversation with Jarrett Walker

"For the sake of the environment and for efficiency of movement with a
growing population, the need for public transit is spreading. But
funding and implementation issues incite intense and often bitter
quarrels. Join transit planning consultant Jarrett Walker —
writer of the blog HumanTransit.org — as he offers insight on some
common issues, confusions, outcomes and strategies shared by transit
planning initiatives across the country."

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Talking Headways Podcast: Peak Experience with Jarrett Walker

By Jeff Wood | Mar 30, 2018

Jarrett Walker of Human Transit fame joins the podcast this week to talk about how to communicate transportation and planning concepts to the public. Jarrett tells us about the importance of humanities majors in transportation professions, why NIMBYs feel the way they do, and how we can think differently about the language we use to discuss housing and transportation.

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The Plan to Transform Houston Transit Without Spending a Dollar More

By Angie Schmitt | May 12, 2014

Transit in Houston could be getting a dramatic makeover, covering a much greater area and significantly boosting ridership — and running it won’t cost any more than running the current system. Houston’s Metro transit teamed up with TEI, a Houston-based transportation planning firm, and transit consultant Jarrett Walker, who blogs at Human Transit, for an overhaul […]

Transit Investments and the Failure of Randal O’Toole’s Short-Term Thinking

By Angie Schmitt | Feb 1, 2016

The Los Angeles Times recently ran a big story to the effect that the region’s major investments in transit are not paying off, since ridership has recently declined. But there are a lot of problems with the paper’s analysis, which Streetsblog LA looked at last week. Jarrett Walker at Human Transit has also taken issue with how the LA Times published sweeping conclusions about long-term […]

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When It Comes to Successful Transit, Density Is Not Destiny

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 27, 2010

There’s a maxim in the planning world that public transit is simply less effective at lower densities. But is that always the case? And what exactly do we mean when we talk about “low density”? In a post today on Human Transit, Jarrett Walker argues that the way we talk about and measure density can […]

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Will Private Transit Startups Help or Hurt Public Transit?

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 30, 2015

The rise of private transit operators like Bridj, Leap, and Uberpool has raised questions about equity in places including the Bay Area, where such services are fast replicating. A related issue is the impact they will have on traditional public transit systems. Private transit vehicles have been described as “like a lounge on wheels,” with […]

SPUR: Human Transit, Clear Thinking About Public Transit

By Robert Prinz | May 21, 2012

From spur.org: Image: Jarrett Walker/Island Press Jarrett Walker has been designing public transit systems for more than 20 years. His recent book, Human Transit, provides a guide to creating effective public transportation. While many people support transit in the abstract, it’s often hard to channel that support into successful transit investments. Walker will discuss how to define […]