The city of Orlando, Florida is examined as the worst example of the nation's pedestrian safety crisis.
"There are roughly 25 to 30 collisions involving pedestrians every day in the greater Orlando region," writes Patrick Sisson, sharing information sourced from the Florida Highway Patrol.
"These horrific crashes only hint at the toll that traffic takes on pedestrians and cyclists in and around Orlando, which Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design reports have ranked most dangerous for pedestrians in all but one edition since 2009."
What makes Orlando different? According to Sisson, it's the cities complete commitment to designing streets built only for cars and speed. Sisson documents the development history of roadway infrastructure in the Orlando region back to 1956, and also lists some of the actions already underway to reduce the fatal costs of that design and engineering history. The efforts of Bill Hattaway, the city's transportation director (described by Sisson as an "urbanist reformer") are also discussed in detail.
Read the full story: Orlando, the nation’s deadliest city for pedestrians, has a plan for safer streets
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.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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