Leah Shahum returns to San Francisco from a 7-month sabbatical in Amsterdam with a new perspective on making cities bike-friendly the Dutch way.
Shahum says San Francisco has many of the factors that have made Amsterdam so successful in encouraging bicycling, including narrow streets, similar population density and higher-than-average citizen participation:
"The two cities' most obvious difference is terrain. Amsterdam is as famous for flatness as San Francisco is for hilliness. Yet, I contend that in San Francisco we narrow that disadvantage with gears (almost non-existent in Amsterdam), bike racks on buses, and, the fact that most of us can choose to pedal around, instead of straight up, steep hills for many trips."
Shahum also found that bicycle culture is a relatively new phenomenon in Amsterdam, which is encouraging for changing opinions and habits in the U.S.
Read the full story: Lessons from Amsterdam: How SF Can Bicycle Toward Greatness
Making the Golden Gate Bridge Safer for Cyclists
The Golden Gate Bridge District is looking at ways to improve safety on the bridge's narrow, windy bike and pedestrian paths.
San Francisco Schools Teach Bike-Riding in P.E.
Bike safety could become part of the second-grade curriculum districtwide.
The High Cost of Curbside Electric Vehicle Charging
There's nothing like the convenience of charging one's electric vehicle at home, assuming you have a garage, driveway, or your apartment building has a charger. California cities and utilities are working to increase EV infrastructure on all fronts.
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.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
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