Advocates say incentivizing e-bikes is a quick and effective way to reduce carbon emissions and shift U.S. transportation priorities away from car-oriented planning.

In a piece for NPR, Adam Bearne highlights the benefits of electric bikes, which can bring biking to more people and reduce carbon emissions. Some riders tout the benefits of e-cargo bikes, which allow them to efficiently transport groceries or children and replace drives with more pleasant outdoor time.
According to Bearne, e-bikes can provide a convenient alternative to cars for short trips. “The Bureau of Transportation Statistics found that in 2021, 52% of all trips were three miles or less. That's the kind of distance that most people can manage on an e-bike.” For Denver, a recent e-bike rebate program has proven hugely successful, with participants reporting that they replace an average of 21.6 miles of driving per week with bike trips.
Advocates are calling on the federal government to offer e-bike rebate programs as a tool for reducing carbon emissions. A proposed e-bike program was dropped from the Inflation Reduction Act last year after pressure from opponents. Noa Banayan of PeopleForBikes says “if we're giving people an incentive to choose cars, electric vehicles, and not necessarily an electric bicycle, then we're sort of locking our transportation system into the way that it has been, which is really car-dominated.”
FULL STORY: E-bikes could be a more affordable way to reduce emissions

The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More Bad News for America’s Housing Crisis?
In the first of a two-part series, PlaceMakers’ Ben Brown interviews housing guru Arthur C. Nelson on the sweeping demographic changes complicating the housing market.

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.

Ranking Exclusionary Zoning: D.C., New York Metro Areas Top the List
A new database measures the restrictiveness of exclusionary zoning practices around the country. Exclusionary zoning, it turns out, is much more prevalent than commonly acknowledged.

Historically Redlined Neighborhoods Have Higher Rates of Pedestrian Deaths, Study Says
The consequences of historic redlining continue to have consequences in the present day United States. Add another example to the list.

Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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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.
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