New York City's second annual Sustainable Streets Index adds a wealth of data in support of green transportation and street safety.
The Department of Transportation's report shows the most significant decline in traffic since 2000, even with the pedestrianization of certain areas of the city.
Noah Kazis writes at Streetsblog: "Last year's index showed how transit had absorbed all the growth in travel as the NYC economy expanded from 2003 to 2007, with driving remaining essentially flat. The new index reveals how that pattern continued in 2008, with the largest decline in traffic in at least 15 years. Not all the numbers for 2009 are in yet, but it looks like the recession caused declines in both transit ridership and driving, not a shift toward automobiles."
Thanks to Noah Kazis
Read the full story: New Scorecard From DOT: Driving in Decline, Safety Improvements Work
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.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
Post election, Texas is no longer Musk’s 'AI oasis'
Elon Musk dolled out $446 million on the 2026 midterms, the most ever spent by a non-canidate.
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
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