This site advocates less dependence on automobile transportation, and proposes suggestions for technologies and city layouts that would eliminate the need for it altogether. Some of the most interesting discussion concerns city topology, suggesting a six-lobe design. Each lobe is divided into many districts, and can support up to two million people (twelve million in all). A heavy-rail metro is...

Are we in the age of the smart city? Will everyday existence be transformed by big data and its broad scale application to a range of public services and other central issues? This thoughtful set of meditations was released in June 2014 by scholars at the Wilson Center's Urban Sustainability Laboratory. The cities profiled in this report are New York, Ahmedabad, Sao Paulo, and Beijing, and...

The Advanced Transport Group at the University of Bristol, upon considering current traffic congestion problems in England and throughout the world, attempted to "identify the ideal system for future urban transport." The group's work has led to the development of the Urban Light Transport (ULTra) System. This paper, published in September 2002, describes the engineering challenges and...

Of interest to urban planners, environmentalists, transportation planners, engineers, and others from a variety of disciplines, this University of Washington site provides information on unconventional transportation technologies with an eye to replace cars and trucks with environmentally sound mass transit and freight options. Special attention is therefore paid to non-auto technologies. A few of...

Uber is a helpful app that seamlessly connects riders with drivers in more than 50 cities and 20 countries. It's a rather innovative way to travel, allowing users to request a ride and pay via their mobile phones. The application includes the ability to compare rates for different vehicles, split payments, and get fare quotes as well. On the site, visitors can begin their journey by selecting...