After four years of political wrangling, hundreds of public and internal meetings, several revisions, and one determined planning department, consultant team, and Mayor, the City of Miami made urban planning history tonight by adopting the largest known application of a form-based code. In doing so, Miami has catapulted itself to the forefront of those large American cities serious about implementing smart growth.
Transportation
Ocean International Airport
With one of the smallest and busiest airports in the country, San Diego is thinking about upgrading its facilities. One idea is to build a new airport on the ocean.
The Infrastructurist
BRT Takes Babysteps in South Africa
This post from The City Fix discusses the new bus rapid transit system that just opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, and why the system was sorely needed.
The City Fix
More Americans Living Car-Free
The New York Times Automobiles Section discusses the growing population of Americans living car-free.
The New York Times
Traveling? Take a Bike!
Bicycle commuting increased 43% in the U.S. from 2000 to 2008. And as commuters get used to having their trusty bike to get around, more business travelers are taking their ride with them.
New York Times
Engineers Sue Metrolink Over Surveillance
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have filed a lawsuit against Metrolink, saying surveillance cameras, which were installed after a deadly crash, are an "invasion of privacy."
Los Angeles Times
Transit and Ultracapacitors
Ultracapacitor batteries are a poor fit for domestic cars, but are a unique fit for transit. Michael Graham Richard looks at how this technology is working on electric buses in China.
Treehugger
If Only Dallas Had Streetcars
Clayton McCleskey makes the case for why Dallas ought to be a little more like Zurich.
The Dallas Morning News
PAYD FAIL
California has finally begun to encourage insurance companies to offer "pay as you drive" (PAYD) insurance policies. The Natural Resources Defense Council says it's a half baked policy.
Streetsblog Los Angeles
Transit Cheats Plague San Francisco's MUNI
Ever wonder how many people hop on those cable-cars in San Fran without paying the fare? Well, it turns out that transit cheats cost MUNI, San Francisco's transit agency, an estimated, $19 million a year.
The San Francisco Chronicle
Residents of Landmark TOD Still Driving
While more residents walk or bike for nonwork trips, Orenco Station residents are still driving to work at a rate comparable to other area suburbs.
The Oregonian
Car Culture Challenged by "Pedal Power"
This Canadian documentary explores the emerging revolution in human powered transportation [Video].
CBC
Do Bikes Need to Stop?
Cities are struggling with the right way to control bicycle traffic in a system built for cars. Should bicycles act like cars? Or should roads change to meet the special needs of bicycles?
Slate.com
How to drive traffic away
Mon, 10/19/2009 - 10:08
A few days ago, I was trying to take a streetcar in Toronto- and the streetcar was just as congested as any suburban arterial. The lines in front of streetcars were so long that I couldn't get into the first streetcar. Or the second. Or the third. Instead, I had to wait a few minutes (horrors!) for the fourth streetcar.
I asked myself: what if streetcars only ran every hour, instead of every few minutes? Would the streetcars be equally crowded? Of course not. People would abandon the streetcars and start to use cars (if they owned them) and buy them (if they did not yet own them).
Clearing 30,000 Cars From Vancouver's Streets
When it hosts the 2010 Winter Olympics next year, Vancouver will need to clear more than 30,000 vehicles off its roads everyday to avoid total gridlock. Doing so will require much cooperation from locals.
The Globe and Mail
42nd Street Light Rail?
Vision 42 has proposed closing NYC's 42nd Street to car traffic and adding light rail along its length. The Mayor isn't interested, but lots of others are.
The New York Times
The End of Free Parking in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, CA is making the move to market-based parking in order to reduce congestion, reduce pollution, and make alternatives more appealing.
Los Angeles Times
LaHood to Detroit: Don't Worry About High-Speed Rail
Speaking to the Detroit Economic Club recently, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood addressed high-speed rail, Detroit's bus crisis, and the economic future of the area.
Crain's Detroit Business
Uncertainty Over Dubai's New Metro System
With barely a third of its metro stations in operation, there is some doubt over whether Dubai's metro will be a success.
The Christian Science Monitor
