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Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking about Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives [Paperback]

Jarrett Walker
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Book Description

December 22, 2011 1597269727 978-1597269728 1St Edition
Public transit is a powerful tool for addressing a huge range of urban problems, including traffic congestion and economic development as well as climate change. But while many people support transit in the abstract, it's often hard to channel that support into good transit investments.  Part of the problem is that transit debates attract many kinds of experts, who often talk past each other.  Ordinary people listen to a little of this and decide that transit is impossible to figure out.
 
Jarrett Walker believes that transit can be simple, if we focus first on the underlying geometry that all transit technologies share. In Human Transit, Walker supplies the basic tools, the critical questions, and the means to make smarter decisions about designing and implementing transit services.
 
Human Transit explains the fundamental geometry of transit that shapes successful systems; the process for fitting technology to a particular community; and the local choices that lead to transit-friendly development. Whether you are in the field or simply a concerned citizen, here is an accessible guide to achieving successful public transit that will enrich any community.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Human Transit provides practical guidance for urban public transit system development in  prose that is clear and entertaining without being simplistic. This book should be useful to anybody involved in public transit planning, design, or advocacy.”

(Todd Litman Victoria Transport Policy Institute )

“This book gives professionals, pundits and the citizenry the tools to have conversations that lead to real solutions rather than confrontations.”
(Terry Lee-Williams Transport and Access Manager, City of Sydney, Australia )

 “Jarrett Walker pulls transit out of its specialist silo and treats it in layman’s terms, as an embodiment of shared values and a partial answer to the vital question ‘what kind of city do you want?’ Human Transit is an engrossing narrative that explains the real choices that informed citizens need to make.”
(Ken Greenberg author of Walking Home: the Life and Lessons of a City Builder )

“It's difficult to categorize Jarrett Walker's excellent new book, Human Transit. It's not quite for a popular audience, though it's written with engaging ease. It's not for academics, though it's as thorough as most published research and far more approachable. It's not strictly for a policy audience, though it's fresh grist for any transit wonk's mill. Its closest literary cousin may be a good language book, for it feels capable of teaching anyone, beginner or beyond, to speak Transit more fluently.”
(Atlantic Cities )

"Human Transit is a choice addition for any social issues or urban development collection."
(Midwest Book Review )

"Walker leads the reader through these intricate considerations with dexterity and thoroughness."
(Planning )

"Walker...has produced a well-written, totally nonpolemical, very readable book describing the many tradeoffs to be considered in meeting local goals for providing transit service."
(Choice )

"Walker takes complicated and often technical subjects and presents them to the reader in layman’s terms."
(Urban Review STL )

"Human Transit... presents itself as a sort of "Public Transportation for Dummies," explaining in abstract, but remarkably clear, terms the logic that governs public transit systems and the choices—some technical, some ethical—that transit planners and operators make."
    
(California Planning & Development Report )

"Once in a while, a book comes along that summarizes most of what’s important about a particular subject, and it does so in a way that’s lucid and effortless. One such book is Jarrett Walker’s Human Transit. A couple of hours spent with this slim volume will give anyone the basics on the theory and practice of public transportation planning."

(Better! Cities and Towns )

“Intelligent, refreshing, balanced and richly mindful of the unique settings of individual communities.”
(Douglas MacDonald Former Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation )

About the Author

Jarrett Walker has been designing public transit systems for over 20 years.  He is an independent consultant in North America and Principal Consultant with MRCagney in Australia.  He writes the popular transit blog HumanTransit.org.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Island Press; 1St Edition edition (December 22, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1597269727
  • ISBN-13: 978-1597269728
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #471,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jarrett Walker is an international consultant in public transit network design and policy, and the author of the popular public transit blog HumanTransit.org, through which he can be contacted. His firm, Jarrett Walker + Associates, can be reached through its website jarrettwalker.com. In Australia and New Zealand he also serves as Principal Consultant with MRCagney Consultants.

He has been a full-time consultant since 1991 and has led numerous major planning projects in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, all dealing with public transit and its role in fostering better communities.

Born in 1962, he grew up in Portland, Oregon during the revolutionary 1970s, the era when Portland first made its decisive commitment to be a city for people rather than cars. Though always fascinated by transit, he went on to complete a Ph.D. in humanities and theatre arts at Stanford University before becoming a fulltime transit planner, and he retains a commitment to viewing transit and urban issues from both humanistic and technical perspectives. Passionately interested in an impractical number of fields, he is probably the only person with professional publications in both the Journal of Transport Geography and Shakespeare Quarterly.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(10)
4.8 out of 5 stars
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This book is a must for those involved in development (or redevelopment) of their town. R. Baron  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
I'm already about to read it a second time. t0wnp1ann3r  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
As a planning student, this book was immensely helpful. TransitStudent  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As someone who primarily uses a car and occasionally uses transit, I felt that this book opened my eyes to the possibilities of transit. Some big tools that I'm already putting to good use: (1) make sure new development is "on the way" of a transit system; and, (2) frequency is freedom.

This book is a must for those involved in development (or redevelopment) of their town. Smart decisions now can mean big savings and a better lifestyle in the future.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars If you like Transit March 12, 2012
By Brad
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book will give you talking points that are both solid and intuitive. For example the when thinking about a route it is all about geometry, not vehicle type. Or that most decision makers are motorists so they tend to think (unintentionally) like motorists so they value speed of frequency. This is a well written book, I know the author works in the Pacific Rim but I like to see some more thoughts on Eastern U.S. transit systems.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this book before taking a graduate public transportation planning class, and I'm glad that I did. Mr Walker's book reads EXACTLY as he describes up front - he explains in extremely plain yet precise language the theories that underlie how transit systems operate, the decision points that planners face, and most importantly, the real-world impacts of those decisions. I learned FAR more from this book than in an entire semester of grad class - I was equipped to take in the theoretical stuff the professor taught, and quickly translate that into how it might have real-world impacts on how people travel. For anyone interested in understanding the different ways that transit operates, and how there are so many decisions that can impact how much utility your community gets out of it, MUST READ.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Jarrett Walker definetely has a unique and great approach to public design. One of the most influential books in the transport engineering arena.
Published 1 month ago by iTodd
4.0 out of 5 stars Layman - Good
A god read, even if you're not in the field, but interested. Definitely recommend it. A bit dry at times, but always interesting.
Published 2 months ago by Aaron R. Hammond
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to understanding transit planning!
Jarrett presents the issues faced by anyone who cares about transit (and I include laymen, citizen activists, planners and politicians) in clear - and occasionally stark - terms... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Steven Dorst
5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of Transit Fundamentals
As a planning student, this book was immensely helpful. Using sound arguments, Mr. Walker explains transit in a way that is....helpful. Read more
Published 7 months ago by TransitStudent
5.0 out of 5 stars Makes your thinking clearer
If you've ever wondered why your own city's bus maps are confusing, or why your bus is late, or what makes London so easy to get around, this is the book for you. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Jonathan Owens
5.0 out of 5 stars Great fundamentals
The author does a great job of running through the fundamentals of how transit works in a community without being too prescriptive. Read more
Published 13 months ago by t0wnp1ann3r
5.0 out of 5 stars If you enjoy or work in transit you need this book!
A colleague of mine suggested Jarret's book 'Human Transit' and as someone whom works in City public transit for over 20 years this is a must for an industry professional or guru... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Fred
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