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The Planetizen News Brief - 9/10/09

10 September 2009 - 5:00am
Smart City Radio

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

Full Transcript

When the power cuts out on city streets, you might be surprised to see what happens. Drivers slow down, yield to each other and generally drive a lot better than usual. Some transportation planners have been exploiting this phenomenon in a handful of European towns by removing street lights and signage. As a result, they’ve seen traffic accidents decline and roads that are much safer to drive on. But, according to a recent article from the Telegraph, most of those places tend to be smaller towns or villages. Now, London Mayor Boris Johnson wants to bring that idea to the big city. He’s proposed the removal of about 100 traffic lights from a section of roadway right in the center of the city. The lights will be turned off for two weeks, then turned back on for another two weeks. Officials will monitor intersections to see if there’s any noticeable difference in traffic safety. If the experiment turns out as expected, the traffic light removal plan could spread out to other parts of London.

Meanwhile, a new report from the Transportation Research Board takes a detailed look at how increasing density can affect the amount people drive. The study examines the relationship between land use and carbon emissions - specifically the reduction of vehicle miles traveled resulting from densification. The data in the report suggests that doubling the density in a metropolitan area can reduce vehicle miles traveled by 5 to 12 percent. And with an increase in the population by more than 57 million over the next two decades, the report concludes that increasing density could be a vital strategy for reducing carbon emissions.

And finally, this past weekend was Labor Day – a holiday for many Americans that’s often celebrated with a picnic or a barbecue. For many of these celebrations, the venue of choice is a public park. And that’s increasingly true during this economic recession, when extra cash is limited or nonexistent for many Americans. But the supply had a lot of trouble keeping up with the demand this Labor Day. Limited public park spaces for barbecues and picnics had some Washington D.C. residents claiming spots as early as 2:30 in the morning, according to a recent article from the Washington Post. Compared to 2008, Virginia State Parks saw a 14 percent increase in use this Fourth of July and officials expected similar numbers for Labor Day. But for those who arrived too late to claim a spot, those increases are little more than a sign their cities aren’t providing enough public spaces.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

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If hundreds of people in your community raised reasonable concerns about a planning program you developed, how would you respond? Perhaps you might call a community meeting, or ask community elected officials to reach out to community leaders.
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