In Rust Belt cities like Flint, Michigan, a loss of population translates to less cars on oversized streets. Angie Schmitt examines how Flint, and other cities like it, are trying to right-size their transportation infrastructure.
"Here’s one innovative new idea out of Flint that was a long-time coming and should be emulated in cities across the Rust Belt," writes Schmitt. "Flint is planning to reduce excess vehicle capacity on its streets by implementing road diets that make room for walking and biking. Road diets 'are central' to the city’s in-progress regional plan, known as Imagine Flint, according to a recent report by the Detroit Free Press."
"Other 'shrinking cities,' like Youngstown, Ohio, have tinkered with ideas for reducing the size of their built transportation infrastructure," she adds. "Youngstown’s talked-about proposal was to actually tear out underused streets, a plan that has proved more viable on paper than in practice."
FULL STORY: Flint’s Ingenious Plan to “Right-Size” Its Streets With Road Diets
Two Rustbelt Cities Take Similar Tacks to Future Planning
Erie, Pennsylvania and Canton, Ohio have faced the challenges of shrinking populations and fewer job prospects, but new comprehensive plans in each city may provide a pathway to resurgence
Youngstown: Another Downtown Revitalizes
Earning negative press as a put-America-back-to-work campaign stop, the Ohio city also suffered from reported connections to crime. Now private developers are working alongside Youngstown State to bring people back.
PPS Unveils Menu for an Effective Road Diet
The Project for Public Spaces has released its "Rightsizing Streets Guide", which "aims to help planners and community members update their streets to make them ‘right’ for their context."
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
California Bill Aims to Boost TOD
A bill proposed by Sen. Scott Wiener would exempt transit agencies from zoning rules near ‘high-quality’ transit stops and allow denser transit-oriented development.
Report: One-Fifth of Seattle Households Are Car-Free
According to one local writer, the city’s low rate of car ownership should encourage officials to support public transit and reduce parking minimums.
California Lawmakers Move to Protect Waterways
Anticipating that the Trump EPA will reinstate a 2017 policy that excluded seasonal wetlands and waterways from environmental protections.
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