Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking About Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives, by Jarrett Walker

Public transit is a powerful tool for addressing a huge range ofurban problems, including traffic congestion and economic developmentas well as climate change. But while many people support transit in theabstract, it’s often hard to channel that support into goodtransit investments. Part of the problem is that transit debatesattract many kinds of experts, who often talk past each other. Ordinarypeople listen to a little of this and decide that transit is impossibleto figure out.

Jarrett Walker believes that transit can be simple, if we focusfirst on the underlying geometry that all transit technologies share.In Human Transit, Walker supplies the basic tools, the criticalquestions, and the means to make smarter decisions about designing andimplementing transit services.

Human Transit explains the fundamental geometry of transitthat shapes successful systems; the process for fitting technology to aparticular community; and the local choices that lead totransit-friendly development. Whether you are in the field or simply aconcerned citizen, here is an accessible guide to achieving successfulpublic transit that will enrich any community.