After nearly 20 years of progress in pedestrian safety, fatalities started climbing again in 2010. In 2018, pedestrian deaths jumped to levels not seen in decades.
According to the National Highway Association, 6,227 people were killed on the road last year, more than any year since 1990. The upward trend in pedestrian deaths started at the beginning of this decade and shows no signs of slowing down. Bigger cars and distractions from cellphones are two leading causes of this growing problem.
Road design and development patterns are another part of the problem. "Georgia is one of five states that made up nearly half of all the nation's pedestrian fatalities in 2018. The others were Texas, Arizona, Florida and California," Sea Stachura reports for NPR. Most people will not walk more than 300 feet to use a crosswalk, in Macon, Georgia a city that has struggled with pedestrian safety, crosswalks are often two miles apart. "In Macon, many thoroughfares are also state highways, one of the types of roads where pedestrian fatalities are common," Stachura writes.
Read the full story: Why Pedestrian Deaths Are At A 30-Year High
An Ohio School District is Known for its Walkability. A District Overhaul is Jeopardizing That.
Lakewood plans to close some schools and consolidate students to a centralized early education center, eliminating years of work that created safe walking routes to neighborhood schools.
Unleashing the Power of Cycling With Smart Messaging
Lloyd Alter describes how creative design and copywriting can flip the script and promote active transport.
Opinion: Road Safety Data Should Include Close Calls
Even in the absence of lethal collisions, the experience of repeated near-misses can discourage pedestrians from walking and degrade public perception of road safety.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority