Creating livable streets starts at the grassroots level by gathering support from the community. Better Blocks Philly was a project that created temporary changes to streets, promoting the concept of the "complete street" for the residents.
The South of South Street Neighborhood Association (SOSNA) ran a 10-day project that promoted the importance of livable streets by making temporary changes to several streets. With the help of the city, according to The Dirt, they installed "temporary bump-outs, mid-block crossings and pop-up parklets that double as bump-outs."
Not only are the residents changing the streetscape, but the city is also doing their part. In 2009, the city painted bike lanes on two major streets, Pine St. and Spruce St. as an experiment to "determine the effect that the elimination of a travel lane and replacement with bike lanes would have on all modes of traffic," said The Dirt.
The results were positive reducing crash rates and increasing cycling rates that the city has decided to make changes to other streets.
FULL STORY: Top-Down Meets Bottom-Up on Philadelphia Streets
Atlanta Regional Planners Adopt ‘Safe System’ Approach to Transportation
A new Road Safety Strategy was recently adopted by the Atlanta Regional Commission with a promise to create “a comprehensive framework and action plan to support the long-term safety vision and goals” of the region.
The Responsibility of the Building to the Street
Structural engineers are responsible for ensuring that buildings do not fall over. Mechanical engineers must ensure that people inside can breathe. But what responsibility do building designers have to the street outside?
Cleveland Ready for Vision Zero
Cleveland is working to become the latest U.S. city to set a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
