Quality of Life
Climate Change Fight Dies in Texas Oil Region
An oil-rich region of West Texas is about to get more than half a billion dollars in highway funds so it can continue to pump more crude and frack natural gas — perpetuating a cycle that is causing the destruction of human civilization.
August 28, 2019
Transit Agency Cuts Service To Curb Homeless in Minneapolis
Minneapolis's transit agency has started shutting down the city's only 24-hour rail line for two hours per night in a move designed to scatter the homeless, but one which has had an impact on working class riders who just want to get home.
August 19, 2019
Federal Program Would Help Cities Tear Down Highways
A new pot of money would help undo the sometimes-racist legacy of urban highway construction.
August 14, 2019
Mayors Seek Transit Funds To Fight Climate Change (And What’s Happening in This Picture)
A coalition of mayors wants Congress to declare a "Marshall Plan" against climate change by spending on mass transit to curb air pollution in their cities.
The mayors of Atlanta, Honolulu, St. Paul, Pittsburgh, and Portland, Ore., implored senators at a climate hearing on Capitol Hill last week to invest in renewable-energy programs in order to create jobs and fund bus and rail systems, with the goal of weening people off gas-polluting vehicles.
July 23, 2019
Do Millennials Love Sprawl Now? Eh, Not Exactly
Millennials are moving to suburbs. But in a lot of cases they don't have much of a choice.
July 3, 2019
Seattle’s Bike Gender Gap Among Widest in USA
Women cyclists have to deal with unsafe streets, driver harassment, and inflexible workplaces — so it's no wonder the bike gender gap persists, even in supposedly egalitarian Seattle.
June 19, 2019
Highway Boondoggles 2019: Nine Projects That Should Never Happen
Here's the thing with highway expansion projects: They're big. They're expensive. And they have limited benefit. Our friends at US PIRG present their annual report.
June 18, 2019
Study: Better Transit Helps Latinos Live Healthier Lives
Two dynamics are at work for Latinos — and both have negative effects.
May 21, 2019
Seattle and Minneapolis: A Tale of Two Upzones
Dense, walkable cities mean more families can afford to stay, and public transport gets a boost. They’re also greener than suburbs, with their large homes and car-dependent multitudes. But changing zoning rules that break the car culture isn’t easy. A long read from our friends at Grist.
May 21, 2019
Paradigm-Shifting Highway Teardown Gaining Traction in Tampa
#BlvdTampa is the rallying cry of a grassroots group that wants to tear down Interstate 275 and convert it to a boulevard. They're starting to gain traction.
May 10, 2019