Category Archives: Urban

I was in Honolulu a couple of weeks ago for the first time since 2022. I particularly wanted to ride on Skyline, Honolulu’s new (or at least newish) elevated railroad. The first segment of Skyline (between the western terminus and … Continue reading →

I spent several days in Riyadh in October. I was particularly interested in riding Riyadh’s new Metro, all 176 kilometers of which opened in December 2024 and January 2025—an astonishingly quick opening of a substantial new system. I also wanted … Continue reading →

When I was in Jersey City last month, I naturally noticed the recreational trail along the Hudson. A little research revealed that it’s part of an entity called the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway that’s planned to run between Bayonne and … Continue reading →

Anyone who’s been on the Hudson waterfront of Manhattan over the last thirty or so years has noticed that Jersey City has been growing a serious skyline. The buildings are generally unremarkable, and the highest are nowhere near as tall … Continue reading →

The Chicago Transit Authority (the CTA) recently finished work on the main component of its Red and Purple Modernization Project (RPM). The RPM project is an attempt to modernize and add capacity to the North Side Red Line, the CTA’s … Continue reading →

In September 2021, I put up a post on the geography of carfree (or car-free) households in the United States during the 2015/2019 period. It drew more traffic than any other post on this site. The data presented on that … Continue reading →

I visited both Milan and Rome late last fall. I spent a few days in Milan in mid-November and a few days in Rome in mid-December. I’d been to both cities several times over the years but not since 2012. … Continue reading →

The recreational path known as the Miami Underline grew by 2.1 miles (3.4 km) on April 24. The Miami Underline, when finished, will run along Miami’s (mostly) elevated railroad, Metrorail, between Brickell, just south of downtown Miami, and South Dadeland, … Continue reading →

Between 1998 and 2019, I visited Hong Kong more than a dozen times. The chief reason was that I was so fond of—as well as fascinated by—the place. Hong Kong satisfies just about all my urban aesthetic preferences. Above all, … Continue reading →

I spent a few days in Montréal last week and naturally went and rode on the now year-old REM (Réseau express métropolitain). I was particularly interested in figuring out just what the REM is. Is it a light-rail line, as … Continue reading →