Is This a Downtown Street or a Surface Highway?
Indianapolis recently decided to convert two downtown streets -- West New York and West Michigan -- from one-way speedways to calmer, two-way streets. The changes should help make the city's downtown campus area more walkable, but now it looks like the city is compensating for those traffic changes by turning another street -- West Street -- into even more of a surface highway.
October 2, 2015
Will the Pope’s Visit Lead to Massive Car-Free Days in Philly?
Since Pope Francis's visit this weekend, #pOpenstreets has become a rallying cry in Philadelphia. The hashtag has turned into a collective record of photos and insights about the surprising amount of fun and freedom that city residents enjoyed when 4.7 square miles of the city center went car-free.
October 1, 2015
Simple, Creative Ideas to Build a Better Bus Stop
Waiting for the bus can be a pain. To make transit more appealing, nothing beats frequent service, but studies have shown that if you're going to wait, small improvements like shelters and information about when the next bus is coming can make the wait feel shorter.
October 1, 2015
San Diego Planners Envision a Future With More Driving
When it comes to forward-looking transportation and planning policy, California is out in front of other states, with legislation that requires regional agencies to incorporate carbon reduction goals into their transportation plans. But not all regions are up to the challenge.
October 1, 2015
3 White Elephants That Help Explain America’s Infrastructure Crisis
A new report by the Center for American Progress zeros in on an under-appreciated culprit in America's much ballyhooed infrastructure crisis: All the money we waste on useless roads.
September 30, 2015
In Oakland, a “Green Street” That Doesn’t Live Up to Its Name
Downtown Oakland is growing and changing. Earlier this year, Mayor Libby Schaaf said it's time for the city to "re-envision our roads." That's easier said than done, however, and it looks like Oakland is about to blow its chance to re-envision a major downtown street.
September 30, 2015
Miraculous! Philly’s Open Streets Open Eyes During Papal Visit
The official name for it was the "traffic box" -- the 4.7-square-mile chunk of center city Philadelphia where incoming motor vehicles weren't allowed when Pope Francis was in town this weekend. But rather than the traffic nightmare some anticipated, something wonderful happened: #popenstreets.
September 29, 2015
How Portland (Maine) Pairs Car-Share With Parking Reform
Is your city skittish about reducing parking minimums? Here's one way to ease people into the idea that new buildings shouldn't be forced to include lots of parking along with housing, and it comes from Portland -- Maine.
September 29, 2015
Without Transit, American Cities Would Take Up 37 Percent More Space
Even if you never set foot on a bus or a train, chances are transit is saving you time and money. The most obvious reason is that transit keeps cars off the road, but the full explanation is both less intuitive and more profound: Transit shrinks distances between destinations, putting everything within closer reach.
September 28, 2015