The city is transforming seven downtown blocks along a light rail line into a car-free zone focused on outdoor dining and entertainment.
Houston is working to finish a $12 million project that will turn seven blocks of Main Street into a car-free promenade in advance of hosting FIFA World Cup games in June.
According to an article by Robert Isenberg in Islands, "After decades of neglect, these blocks have already received a lot of civic love in recent years, and this 'revitalized gem' has boutiques, eateries, and galleries. The Main Street Promenade will be a natural extension of all this urban improvement."
According to an article by Katiera Winfrey for KHOU, construction on the project is 80% to 90% complete. Traffic lanes were removed to make room for wider sidewalks and outdoor seating.
FULL STORY: Downtown Houston's Ambitious Upcoming Project Will Turn 7 City Blocks Into A Walkable Promenade
Rick Steves on Walkability Lessons From Europe
Many of Europe’s pedestrian-friendly, transit-rich cities weren’t always that way.
After Culdesac's success in Tempe, Mesa approves new 1,000-unit 'car-light' development
Culdesac Mesa will take the same transit-oriented approach with a compact, walkable design and access to transit and shared mobility options.
Houston improved walkability ahead of the World Cup. Will it last?
Some mobility advocates say the city's 'Green Corridor' amounts to 'lipstick on a pig' rather than a true commitment to better transit and walking infrastructure.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association