Bridges
Solar-lit Footbridge Opens in Brisbane
Last month saw the debut of one of the world's longest footbridges, which also happens to be 100% solar-powered. 36,500 people are projected to walk across the bridge each week.
Inhabitat
Dedicated Non-Motorist Lane on Vancouver Bridge Finds Public Support
Residents in Vancouver are reportedly in favor of keeping a dedicated lane for pedestrians and cyclists on a local bridge. Even some motorists are in support.
The Vancouver Sun
Finding Public Space Wherever They Can in Cairo
Dense Cairo has few sanctioned public spaces. So residents make do wherever they can.
The New York Times
London Mayor Calls for 'Living Bridge'
London Mayor Boris Johnson has revived old plans to build a new bridge across the Thames River, complete with habitable structures and shops.
Evening Standard
The Planetizen News Brief - 4/30/09
4:15 minutes (3.9 MB)
The missing Office of Urban Policy, the unlikely success of a park under a bridge, and a plan to map the nation's playgrounds, all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
Russia Plans Bridge to Nowhere
The Russian government is building a 2-mile bridge from Vladivostok to a tiny island in preparation for the 2012 Asia Pacific Economic Summit. Many in the country say the $1 billion plan is a waste of money and a bridge to nowhere.
The New York Times
Under the Bridge: A New Park Surprises in Providence
The park under a new bridge in Providence succeeds in creating an interesting space in the city, and shows that concrete doesn't have to be dull.
The Providence Journal
Redirecting Bridge Funding Could Create Citywide Light Rail for Vancouver
A public-private partnership that would have built a new 10-lane bridge in British Columbia has fallen apart, leaving the $3.1 billion tab on the BC government. Researchers say that much money could build a 200-km light rail system instead.
The Tyee
Art to Bring New York Plaza Back to the Public
In an effort to reclaim a public plaza at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge that was demolished in the 1960s by Robert Moses, artist Brian Tolle is reconstructing the statues that once adorned the plaza.
Bloomberg
How States are Divvying Up the Transportation Money
This article provides a general breakdown of how state governments plan to use the first installment of transportation spending money from the stimulus. The leeway states have in how to spend has sparked debates among legislators.
The New York Times
Congestion Control Demanded for New 12-Lane Bridge
The mayors of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington have come to an agreement about the size of a new bridge that will connect the two cities -- but on the condition that a bistate commission be set up to control congestion through tolling.
The Oregonian
Going After Graffiti
The city of San Marcos, Texas, near Austin, plans harsher measures to crack down on graffiti, including holding a minor's parents responsible and banning certain graffiti-making tools.
Austin American-Statesman
Concerns Over Tolls and Sprawl May Determine Bridge Width
Plans for a new bridge over the Columbia River in Oregon have local officials in a debate over lanes, tolls and sprawl.
The Oregonian
Portrait of a Cloverleaf
Granville Bridge was built in 1954 for a growing Vancouver, with giant cloverleaf offramps on each end. Today, the city has taken a different direction.
Price Tags
Wind Turbine Bridge Stirs Imaginations
A proposed bridge going over the Columbia River in the Portland-Vancouver area may be able to power itself with wind turbines integrated right onto the design.
OregonLive
'Ready' Road Projects Could Create 1.8 Million Jobs
More than 5,000 road and bridge projects are "ready to go". They still need funding, but could provide nearly 2 million jobs if Congress approves infrastructure spending.
CNN
Residents Say Bridge Design Doesn't Fit
New bridge plans for the New York community of City Island has residents up in arms over what they see as an incompatible design.
The New York Times
Bridge Planners Face Hurdles in Portland
As new design requirements come in at a late stage, bridge planners in Portland are trying to nail down a design for the new light rail bridge that is affordable, appropriate and beautiful. But the beauty aspect may fall to economics.
The Oregonian
Collapsed Bridge Reborn
Just over a year since its deadly collapse, the rebuilt Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis is scheduled to reopen as early as next week.
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune
No Ceremony, Little Love for New Venice Canal Bridge
The first new bridge over Venice's Grand Canal in 70 years will open next month, but no no fanfare and without ceremony. Locals are calling off events to protest the bridge's many delays and cost overruns.
The Times




















