Transportation
Trains, airplanes, freeways... If you can move people and goods on it, then I'm interested in it. And that's why I created this section of my website. I'm especially interested in the effect of transportation on the urban form; good transportation planning is essential to good urban planning, both in terms of the ability to efficiently move around the city as well as the affect of the transportation infrastructure on its surroundings.
Features
The aesthetic condition of the urban freeway - I've always been fascinated with freeways and how they look, so I wrote a whole thesis about it while a student at UT
The urban rail debate - Few transportation-related topics are as divisive as urban rail systems
Bad rail arguments - Reasonable minds can differ as to the worth and efficiency of urban rail. However, there are some arguments that both pro- and anti-rail forces should avoid
Light rail maps - I like to draw these; I'll keep adding new ones as I make them
Links
airliners.net - If you're a commercial aviation geek like me, you'll enjoy this site
Today in the Sky - I am addicted to Ben Mutzabaugh's commercial aviation blog on USATODAY.com
texasfreeway.com - Everything you ever wanted to know about the freeways of Texas
Houston Freeways - The entire text of Eric Slotboom's extensively-researched hagiography of the Houston freeway system is now available online in .pdf format. In addition to this book he maintains an entire site dedicated to Houston freeways
Houston Electric - On January 1, 2004, rail returned to the streets of Houston after a 64-year absence. What was Houston's turn-of-the-century streetcar network like
Local transportation discussion on the Houston Architecture Information Forum
More local transportation discussion at ctchouston.org
kurumi.com - Lots of interesting highway-related stuff, including the fun Signmaker applet
The picture is of the I-35 / US 290 interchange in Austin, Texas. At the University of Texas, I wrote my Professional Report about the aesthetics of the freeway.