To work with the tree roots that can quickly crack concrete sidewalks, Seattle follows the lead of other cities that are testing rubber sidewalks made from recycled tires.
Although rubber sidewalks currently cost more than concrete or asphalt to install, their maintenance may be cheaper in the long-run because the material can stretch, instead of crack, around tree roots. At least "80 cities in eight states are trying rubberized sidewalks."
An added bonus:
"Each of the 57 rubber panels installed, she said, is made of five recycled tires. 'That's a big mountain of tires that won't be going into a landfill,' [an arborist with the City of Seattle] said."
Thanks to Heidi Schallberg
Read the full story: Rubber sidewalks add bounce to city foot traffic
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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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
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello