A practical framework for urban transportation design Transportation in cities has one undeniable limitation: space. Each mode of urban transportation has inherent geometric properties that no amount of policy or design can change. In Transportation and the Shape of Cities, transportation experts Christof Spieler, David Copeland Loredo, and Mandi Chapa take a comprehensive look at the five major modes of US transportation-pedestrian, micromobility (including the bicycle), car, train, and transit. For each, they consider the theory and discuss its geometry, how it works as a network, its role in the transportation system, and how it fits into urban design. Transportation matters because it shapes all of our lives. We can make transportation networks better through thoughtful design, informed policy, and inclusive conversations. Transportation and the Shape of Cities is designed to help professionals to do that in whatever role they are in.

Christof Spieler, PE, AICP, LEED AP, is Director of Transportation for Madison, Wisconsin. He was previously a planner in Houston, working with cities and agencies across the United States. He also taught at Rice University and served on the board of Houston METRO. He is the author of two editions of Trains, Buses, People, published in 2018 and 2021 by Island Press. David Copeland Loredo, AICP, is a planner from Houston. His focus is on enhancing the quality of life through design. His work emphasizes legibility, accessibility, and enjoyability in projects ranging from logos to city planning. David excels in graphic storytelling, cartography, and digital visualizations, aiming to communicate complex ideas and champion community identity. Mandi Chapa is a practicing planner with a background in architecture. She has contributed to projects in the Houston region and across the United States, focusing on design, equity, inclusion, and creating connected places shaped by the community. Mandi is a senior lecturer at Rice University, where she teaches urban transportation in the School of Architecture.