Before Katrina, New Orleans was unfriendly and unpopular for cyclists. Today, the city has 15 streets with bike lanes totaling 40 miles of bike pathway, and is gunning to be as bike-friendly as Portland or Seattle.
Since 2007, the city has spent about $100 million of Hurricane Katrina recovery funds to rehabilitate roads. New Orleans has paved 56 miles with new asphalt on 55 heavily used streets and plan to pave 26 more streets, reports Cain Burdeau for the Associated Press.
"Ridership has also grown. In 2010, New Orleans ranked 12th in the number of bicycle commuters among American cities, an 84 percent increase in bike commuters since 2005, according to the latest Census data."
Even though the city has come a long way, streets still have potholes, debris on the road and missing stop signs are still problems the city need to cover.
"In other words, New Orleans is just like most other American cities - hardly the kind of place where the cyclist comes first."
Read the full story: New roads post-storm make New Orleans cycling city
Transit Transformation in New Orleans
Jonna McKone asks, "How can transportation and urban development—from housing to public spaces to landscaping—repair a blighted American city?"
Study: Protected bike lanes increase Citi Bike rides by nearly 400 rides a month
An analysis of millions of NYC bike share rides reveals that only protected bike lanes have a 'statistically significant' increase in ridership.
Saratoga Springs bike advocates say city is ignoring its Complete Streets plan
Despite a commitment to improving its multimodal infrastructure, the city has no plans to install bike lanes or curb cuts as part of repaving projects on two streets.
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.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Malls are becoming the midtowns of the future
Mall and office park redevelopments are a generational opportunity to create new nodes of urbanity.
NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project
New York City's new system will reduce stormwater flows to local sewers by 90%.
One Kentucky town’s secret to affordable housing
The Smoketown Community Land Trust has already built seven affordable homes for community members.
Houston gains petal-shaped cooling infrastructure to make streets more ‘delightful’
The city has installed the pavilions along 15 blocks in Houston.
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