Streetsblog.net
Seattle’s Scandalous Plan to “Replace” Parking With Parking
The city of Seattle is planning to use eminent domain to seize a privately owned parking lot near its waterfront. The plan is to convert it into ... a city-run parking lot.
October 25, 2013
Indiana Just Building Highways for Highway Building’s Sake
There's a fixed mindset in many corners of the country, perhaps especially in the Midwest, which holds that highway building is an unquestioned economic good.
October 24, 2013
When the State DOT Thinks Your Local Street Is a Highway
This, my friends, is a great example of how myopic reasoning by state departments of transportation can lead to horrible results at the community level.
October 23, 2013
Yes, Baby Boomers Are Moving Back to Cities. No, Not All of Them.
As soon as some consensus emerges about a demographic trend pointing to positive signs for cities, you can count on leading suburban crusader Joel Kotkin to say the experts have it wrong. Kotkin would like you to believe that he's the one true voice in demographic trends, and in his view, it's always the suburbs that come out on top.
October 22, 2013
Oregon Justifies $3 Billion Highway Boondoggle With Made-Up Numbers
The project to replace and expand the I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington, a.k.a. the "Columbia River Crossing," has been watched by transportation experts around the country as a case study in the dynamics of a highway boondoggle. Earlier this year, when state lawmakers in Washington State refused to fund their portion of the project, observers proclaimed the project dead.
October 21, 2013
Indiana Amtrak Service Saved. Now, How Can It Be Improved?
Rail riders and advocates in Indiana won a big one this week, securing the additional state funding needed to keep Amtrak's Hoosier State line operating four days a week between Indianapolis and Chicago. It was the last, and most hotly contested, of the 19 agreements Amtrak was required to negotiate with 15 states in order to maintain service on its "state-supported" routes.
October 18, 2013
Designing Places for Cars Isolates Older Americans
America can be a hostile place for people who don't drive, and the difficulty is obviously compounded for people who can't drive because of physical limitations. Even for someone in peak physical condition, crossing suburban arterial roads, waiting for infrequent buses, and traversing enormous parking lots can be unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst.
October 17, 2013
Memphis Turns to Crowdsourcing for Final Chunk of Bikeway Funds
One of the most exciting American cities for livable streets right now is Memphis, Tennessee, whose progressive mayor, A.C. Wharton, has championed the expansion of the bike network and helped the city secure the sought-after guidance of national bike infrastructure experts with the Green Lane Project.
October 16, 2013
The New Wave of Bike-Friendly Suburbs
Central cities don't have a monopoly on making cycling a safe and convenient choice for residents. In the latest round of the League of American Bicyclists' bicycle-friendly communities program, several suburbs made a strong showing.
October 15, 2013
The Simple Joy of Walking and Biking to School
One of the biggest sacrifices we've made in the United States to prioritize the movement of automobiles over active transportation is the health and safety of children. Biking and walking to school has become increasingly rare while childhood obesity is on its way to becoming the norm.
October 11, 2013