To make North American cities more bicycle friendly, planners should look to Stockholm, Sweden and Freiburg, Germany -- two European cities were bikes and cars happily co-exist on the street.
"In every city there are thousands of closet cyclists, people who would love to ride their bikes but don't dare. They see cycling in the city as something for bike couriers, for the fiendishly fit, for neighbours with nerves of steel.
Our cities are just bursting with pedaling potential, and it's time to set it loose on the streets. The key lies in building the right kind of infrastructure. Cycling routes designed by cyclists for cyclists.
To make my case, I'll take you to two cities in Europe, to Stockholm - a northern city that has plenty of ups and downs, and cold; and to Freiburg - bordering on Germany's Black Forest mountains.
Quite literally, cycling is for everybody. The bike paths are not separate recreation routes that may or may not actually serve the needs of everyday commuters and shoppers. Instead, they follow every road, like a parallel sidewalk.
Many intersections have designated traffic lights for bikes, often changing before the cars are set loose, so as to allow for the intersection to clear in advance of letting the cars through."
FULL STORY: How bikes and cars co-exist
A New Bicycle Master Plan for Arlington County
Arlington County planning staff have worked on a new bicycle master plan for the past two years. The Arlington County Board will consider the new plan this week.
Checking in on Philadelphia's Promised Protected Bike Lanes
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kinney is discovering on the job that planning is much easier than delivering when it comes to protected bike lanes—as is the case in many cities around the country.
Londoners Taking to Bicycles in Record Numbers
The number of commuters taking to bicycle in the city have tripled since 2000, while commuting by car has been cut in half.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
