Human Transit

Human Transit is the long-running professional blog of Jarrett Walker, a public transit consultant known for advising agencies on network design and for the book Human Transit. Rather than covering breaking news, the site collects essays that explain how transit works as a geometry and budget problem, and why those constraints shape what agencies can realistically deliver.

The core of the site is explanatory writing about network design: frequency versus coverage, connections, ridership goals, and the trade-offs behind service decisions. Posts often respond to current planning debates, such as the Planner’s Pledge on the harms of suburban sprawl, and link those arguments back to concrete choices about routes and land use. A Basics section and city categories help readers find foundational material.

The audience is broad for a niche blog: transit agency staff, city planners, students, journalists, and engaged riders who want to argue about service intelligently. Because posts are written in accessible prose and avoid jargon where possible, they work as teaching material as well as commentary.

Use the Basics and city categories to build context before diving into recent posts, and read the comments for counterarguments from practitioners. The site is free to read and updated irregularly, so it rewards following rather than daily checking. It is a reference for anyone who wants to think clearly about how transit serves a city.