Currently viewing the tag: "infrastructure"
Building off of recent news about the reduction in driving, US PIRG has a new study out this week that’s garnered a lot of media attention. The study, titled “Our Changing Relationship with Driving and the Implications for America’s Future” has the nifty summary stating, “The Driving Boom—a six decade-long period of steady [...]
This study from the Frontier Group about how people are driving less has gotten a fair amount of play lately, as people struggle to interpret what it means. The most-clipped chart of the week is clipped again below, in case you missed it.
It seems you have to either be in [...]
I’ve been spending a great deal of time over the last several months writing and editing a book about living in a walkable community. Titled “Why I Walk”, the book is largely a personal account, as opposed to a technical review of the benefits of living this way. The book will be published this year, [...]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vzDDMzq7d0&feature=player_embedded
From today’s Department of the Counter-Intuitive:
Traffic signals and controls do not improve safety in busy, walkable areas. In fact, they typically provide less safety, as they encourage drivers to go even faster through areas that should require close attention. Mind blown yet?
Of course, signals are a logical result in a system that prioritizes [...]
This street scene is rich with arcades, outdoor seating and cigars. Name the city and street, por favor.
Last week I wrote about the need for architecture to Get Local. I’ve also written before about the shifting paradigms in transportation funding, including the cognitive dissonance that is all-too-common in this field. Today, it’s a blend of both.
Atlantic Cities had a very good piece last [...]
Today, from the Department of Pet Peeves:
I’m a map geek, and a fan of passenger rail. So, show me some maps of potential rail systems, and it’s like giving a drunk a free case of his favorite booze. Not a pretty sight.
In the last few years, we’ve witnessed a (much-needed) surge of interest [...]
A belated photo this week, from Galena, IL. Main Street in Galena is one of the best-preserved and beautiful in all the Mississippi Valley. This classic American river town is in part well-preserved because the river itself moved. Now, a regional destination for weekend getaways and more, Galena is worth a stop on anyone’s journey [...]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q6KzDhugDA
I like to think of myself as a reasonable person. My Midwestern roots generally steer me toward pragmatic results and solutions, even when I aim to do something more transformative. Like most of us, I look for whatever are the most reasonable, logical solutions to today’s problems, with an eye toward the future.
The [...]
In Part One of this series on park design, I wrote about how well-planned parks fit into a city and a series of neighborhoods, such that they not only present the beauty of nature (albeit designed nature), but also useful active and passive recreational space. And, that their location & integration are keys [...]
Though tempted, I won’t write a soliloquy today on the many virtues of street trees. Others have done so better than I, including Allan Jacobs, who wrote in the book Great Streets, “Given a limited budget, the most effective expenditure of funds to improve a street would probably be on trees.”
Some of my colleagues [...]
In the urban planning profession, we talk a lot about the importance of public transit. At any given public presentation or meeting, you’ll hear people talk incessantly about how we need to offer real alternatives to driving, and how all development should make itself either accessible to transit or transit-oriented.
Unfortunately, that’s where a lot [...]
Connect With Me Elsewhere
Kevin on Video
Why The Real Estate Crash Is Good For The Future Of America
Street Design & Walkability
Form-Based Codes As Economic Development
