Claire Thompson reports on new findings presented in the Alliance for Biking and Walking's 2012 Benchmarking Report demonstrating the rise in biking and walking, and the incongruity with recent attempts to defund bipedal infrastructure.
Thompson points to significant gains in bicycle commuting in the last decade, which is up 57% since 2000, and finds that "While biking and walking make up 12 percent of all trips in the U.S., they receive only 1.6 percent of federal transportation funding, according to the report. If House Speaker John Boehner & Co. get their way, that percentage would drop to zero."
Thompson also writes about the chicken-and-egg way in which increased biking and walking lead to increased funding and participation in non-motorized transportation. Perhaps more important are the safety implications of increased biking and walking. Cities and states with more biking and walking see far lower fatality rates than places with low levels of bipedalism.
With, "40 percent of all trips in the U.S....less than 2 miles. Clearly, we could be doing a lot more biking and walking, and a lot less driving."
FULL STORY: Bipedal? Curious? Americans give walking and biking a try
Report Ranks the Cities With the Most Active Commuters
A benchmarking report by the Alliance for Biking and Walking reveals Boston as the nation's leader in active commutes.
Study: Active Commutes Correlate to Positive Public Health Outcomes
The Alliance for Biking and Walking’s 2014 Benchmarking report found a strong correlation between active commuting rates and health outcomes like diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.
New Report Ranks Top Cities and States for Bicycling and Walking
A new report ranks all 50 states and the 51 largest American cities in terms of bicycling and walking levels, safety, funding, and other factors.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie