Better Buses, Better Cities
How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit
184 pages
6 x 9
20 photos
Book Description
"Better Buses, Better Cities is likely the best book ever written on improving bus service in the United States." — Randy Shaw, Beyond Chron
"The ultimate roadmap for how to make the bus great again in your city." — Spacing
Imagine a bus system that is fast, frequent, and reliable—what would that change about your city?
Buses can and should be the cornerstone of urban transportation. They offer affordable mobility and can connect citizens with every aspect of their lives. But in the US, they have long been an afterthought in budgeting and planning. With a compelling narrative and actionable steps, Better Buses, Better Cities inspires us to fix the bus.
Transit expert Steven Higashide shows us what a successful bus system looks like with real-world stories of reform—such as Houston redrawing its bus network overnight, Boston making room on its streets to put buses first, and Indianapolis winning better bus service on Election Day. Higashide shows how to marshal the public in support of better buses and how new technologies can keep buses on time and make complex transit systems understandable.
Higashide argues that better bus systems will create better cities for all citizens. The consequences of subpar transit service fall most heavily on vulnerable members of society. Transit systems should be planned to be inclusive and provide better service for all. These are difficult tasks that require institutional culture shifts; doing all of them requires resilient organizations and transformational leadership.
Better bus service is key to making our cities better for all citizens. Better Buses, Better Cities describes how decision-makers, philanthropists, activists, and public agency leaders can work together to make the bus a win in any city.
Review Quotes
"Better Buses, Better Cities makes a convincing for cities to prioritize improved bus service... Higashide shows transit advocates what works in other cities, enabling them to 'learn from the triumphs and pitfalls of others.' [It] is likely the best book ever written on improving bus service in the United States.
Randy Shaw, Beyond Chron
"Steven Higashide’s new book Better Buses, Better Cities is a superb how-to manual for urban activists and urban policy-makers.
Resilience
"Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run and Win the Fight for Effective Transit is the ultimate roadmap for how to make the bus great again in your city. Part technical backgrounder, part political field manual, Steven Higashide is a seasoned transit reformer and advocate who provides cautionary tales but also the inspiration for making cities better places to live....With its many success stories, practical tips and tools, it’s a call to action for improving a city’s bus service.
Spacing Vancouver
"From ballot measures to bus-only lanes, the research director from the national advocacy nonprofit TransitCenter delivers timely, inspiring stories of the ways cities are putting transit first.
Curbed
“Higashide shows how to roll out a new road order for streets by unleashing the power of effective bus networks and unleashing the full potential of cities.”
Janette Sadik-Khan, Bloomberg Associates, former NYC Transportation Commissioner
“This book is a must-read for anybody who cares about cities and transit. Higashide helps us see how to get more out of buses, a maligned but crucial part of our transit systems.”
Lisa Ann Schweitzer, Professor, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Contents
Preface: My Own Bus Story
Acknowledgements
Introduction: We Need to Unleash the Bus
Chapter 1: What Makes People Choose the Bus?
Chapter 2: Make the Bus Frequent
Chapter 3: Make the Bus Fast and Reliable
Chapter 4: Make the Bus Walkable and Dignified
Chapter 5: Make the Bus Fair and Welcoming
Chapter 6: Gerrymandering the Bus
Chapter 7: Technology Won’t Kill the Bus—Unless We Let It
Chapter 8: Building a Transit Nation
Conclusion: Winning Mindsets and Growing Movements
Events
Better Buses, Better Cities (A Book Launch)
Better Buses, Better Cities (A Book Launch)
Tuesday, 15 October 2019 - 6:00pm
TransitCenter
1 Whitehall Street
17th Floor
New York, NY 10004
United StatesMust RSVP to attend.
Imagine a bus system that is fast, frequent, and reliable—how would that change your city?
Buses can and should be the cornerstone of urban transportation, but in the U.S., they have long been an afterthought in budgeting and planning. But fortunately that is changing. A new generation of activists, planners, and elected leaders have recognized the power of better bus service to affordably connect people with jobs, healthcare, and everything they need to live their lives.
In a new book, Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit, TransitCenter Director of Research Steven Higashide chronicles real-world stories of reform, such as Houston redrawing its bus network overnight, Boston making room on its streets to put buses first, and Indianapolis winning better bus service at the ballot box. It explains what a successful bus system looks like and the importance of strong civic advocacy and public management in achieving it.
Join TransitCenter for a discussion featuring Steven and two transit reformers whose stories are told in the book—Stacy Thompson of Boston’s LivableStreets Alliance, and Kurt Luhrsen of Houston METRO.
Books will be available for purchase and Steven will be signing copies following the program.
Moderator:
Henry Grabar, Staff writer at Slate
Panelists:
- Steven Higashide, Director of Research at TransitCenter
- Kurt Luhrsen, Vice President of Planning at Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
- Stacy Thompson, Executive Director of LivableStreets Alliance
Light refreshments to be served.
Event is free and open to the public. An RSVP does not guarantee a seat.
We kindly request that you arrive no earlier than 6pm.
Webinar: Steven Higashide on “Better Buses, Better Cities”
Webinar: Steven Higashide on “Better Buses, Better Cities”
Wednesday, 20 November 2019 - 1:00pm
Join Next City for a webinar with Steven Higashide, who will discuss his new book Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit, on Wednesday, November 20 at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
In Better Buses, Better Cities, transit expert Steven Higashide shows us what a successful bus system looks like with real-world stories of reform — such as Houston redrawing its bus network overnight, Boston making room on its streets to put buses first, and Indianapolis winning better bus service on Election Day. Higashide shows how to marshal the public in support of better buses and how new technologies can keep buses on time and make complex transit systems understandable.
Better Buses, Better Cities: A book talk
Better Buses, Better Cities: A book talk
Thursday, 12 December 2019 - 6:00pm
Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies
640 Massachusetts Ave.
Washington, DC 20001
United StatesJoin author and transit expert Steven Higashide to discuss his new book published by Island Press: Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit. This event aims to help DC advocates learn from a national expert about how we can win the fight for better buses. This book talk follows Coalition for Smarter Growth’s release of the DC Metrobus report card and the region’s Bus Transformation Project’s recommendations. Smart Growth America and Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies are an event hosts and sponsors.