The Atlantic examines the factors that create a successfully implemented bike sharing program, based on current plans scheduled to be implemented on New York streets by next summer.
New York's relatively late entrance into the bike share game means that it will benefit from technological upgrades over earlier systems. "We did a lot of work to identify what was the best program area to meet the needs of New Yorkers in the first phase of this program," says New York City transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. "The fact is a successful bike-share system means having stations located every few blocks and putting them where they're needed, and that's really what we're focusing on right now."
Having selected Alta Bike Share to develop and operate the long awaited program, the city now needs to decided where to place the initial 600 stations to maximize efficiency, reduce community backlash and avoid phenomena such as "dockblocking" to keep the program attractive to cyclists. Eric Jaffe explains how decisions about station size, density, and community proximity can make or break the project.
Read the full story: The Methodology of Bike-Share Station Placement In New York City
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.
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.
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.
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