Daily pedestrian trips in Vancouver, Canada are at 318,000, while bike trips are at 60,000. So why do bikes have a committee and pedestrians don't? City planners are rectifying that situation now, with a new focus on walkers.
City manager Penny Ballem said recently that a pedestrian advisory committee will be formed as the city works on a new transportation plan. Meanwhile, the city's engineering department is revising its entire outlook on pedestrians by including them in a new department they're calling "Active Transportation."
Reporter Allen Garr writes:
"It includes all human-powered methods of moving. Actually, rather than have a pedestrian advisory committee, don't be surprised if they are blended with the cyclists into an active transportation advisory committee."
Read the full story: Department for pedestrians on the horizon
Transit leaders progress high-speed rail from Portland to Vancouver, B.C.
Washington state officials may reveal feasible routes for the high-speed rail in late 2027.
Budget constraints threaten light rail for Oregon, Washington’s new bridge
The current proposal includes only the infrastructure for the light rail, without funding for the train and tracks.
Amtrak opens border preclearance facility for travelers entering US from Vancouver
The first-of-its-kind facility streamlines the border crossing experience, eliminating long waits.
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.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority