Transportation

Public transportation use varies widely across the United States, from small towns with few transit options to dense metropolitan areas with extensive subway, train and bus systems. Even in cities with similar transit systems, use can vary significantly, and some systems do not efficiently connect where people live to where they work.

Metropolitan planning organizations are federally mandated bodies (MPOs) responsible for urban transportation planning. Billions of dollars are channeled through MPOs, giving them considerable influence over growth patterns and, consequently, social and economic opportunity.

Every summer in the United States, the issue of children being left unattended in motor vehicles hits the headlines. The stories often spur outrage and confusion over how such tragedies continue to occur, despite the media attention and persistent warnings to parents about how closed car windows trap heat, rapidly increasing interior temperatures.