coming in Spring 2026 from Island Press:

Transportation and the Shape of Cities

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. Designing transportation is always a problem of geometry: if we want to add something new, we need space for it. This is never easy—historically, the decisions about reallocating space have negatively impacted people without power and means. Planning for transportation in cities a design problem requiring thoughtful planners, engineers, landscape architects, urban designers, and policy makers. Understanding the properties of each mode is fundamental to good design in cities.

In Transportation and the Shape of Cities, transportation experts Christof Spieler, Armandina Chapa, and David Copeland Loredo 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 and the Shape of Cities is a visually rich tool to help people plan cities. It is not a design standard, but a guide to solving the design problem of the limitations of space and the geometrical characteristics of each transportation mode. The information will help someone answer a question such as “How much space should there be in front of this building for a good sidewalk?” or “Would a bike lane fit in this street?” or “How long would an overpass over this railroad be?” Dimensioned drawings appear throughout, along with discussions of the factors that drive the dimensions.

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.

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.

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.