Buffalo
Buffalo Dug Itself Into a Deep Infrastructure Hole. Can It Escape?
It truly is a testament to the collective power of denial that Rust Belt city leaders still think highways are going to improve their economies. Decades of experience with sprawl and center city decline apparently haven't put an end to the notion that prosperity is just one road widening away. In Cleveland, business leaders are clamoring for a new $350 million roadway they insist will revive manufacturing in some very poor, nearly-abandoned neighborhoods. Meanwhile, a bit further east on the Lake Erie coast, there's a great example of how cities' seemingly bottomless optimism about road and highway projects can end up putting them in a very bad position.
June 12, 2013
Expanding Car-Share Beyond America’s Biggest Cities
The growth of car-share has helped people forgo the expense of car ownership in major cities like Washington and Seattle, where it's been widely adopted. But not every city has the market to sustain car-share services from companies like Zipcar or Hertz. In his book Walkable City, Jeff Speck writes that your city might not be "ready" for car-share if, when you stick out your hand downtown, a cab doesn't stop.
April 29, 2013