New York City is hoping to install a citywide bike sharing program with at least 10,000 bikes. The system could open by Spring 2012.
"Officials also want the bicycles, which must have a 'one size fits all' design, to be resistant to rust, scratches and graffiti, perhaps in hope of warding off a subway-style tagging epidemic.
The program could begin as early as April 2012; the city hopes the initial stage will include about 10,000 bikes. A two-month test of the program, with at least 30 bicycle kiosks, could occur as early as next summer, the documents said."
The system's planners are also proposing a website where riders can check on the availability of bicycles at nearby stations.
FULL STORY: A Peek Into New York’s Bike-Sharing Future
New Interactive Mapping Tool Tracks all of NYC's Infrastructure Projects, Housing Permits, and City Facilities
The New York Department of City Planning has taken its open data practices to a new level with the launch of the Capital Planning Explorer.
Different Spokes for Different Folks
Bike sharing and rental systems are becoming more inclusive, considering the needs of those with disabilities and children. And systems are expanding based different uses people have for different types of bicycles.
Blogging the 'Vanishing' of New York City
An article on The Daily Beast provides an in-depth portrait of the ethos and politics of a blog known as Vanishing New York—a militantly nostalgic platform that laments the loss of New York's former urban glories.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association