New York City and San Jose have expanded or added rules that temporarily close some of their streets to automobile traffic. This continues a string of successes for the open streets movement.
Joining a movement that began in Colombia, American cities are finding new opportunities to temporarily restrict car traffic, giving pedestrians and cyclists the freedom of the streets. "This fall, the City of San Jose and Silicon Valley Bike Coalition will close off six miles of streets from cars — leaving the road open for biking, walking, playing and skating. The inaugural 'Viva CalleSJ,' announced this week, will take place on October 11th."
The west coast and Latin America have a good track record for these kinds of events. "San Jose is joining a number of other cities that have already hosted open streets events, including Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Bogota, Colombia." Los Angeles' CicLAvia is one of the more well-known open streets events in the United States.
And now, the movement is gaining momentum on the other side of the country, especially in conjunction with New York's Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic fatalities. "On the East Coast, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced [...] that he will close large parts of Prospect Park and Central Park to vehicles on weekdays."
Read the full story: Closing Streets to Cars for Walkers and Cyclists Is Getting More Popular by the Minute
A Vision Zero Success Story in New York
The 300-foot wide Queens Boulevard has been known as the Boulevard of Death. Since 1990, it has claimed 186 lives, 74 percent being pedestrians, including 18 in 1997 alone. A series of safety improvements have brought fatalities to zero since 2014.
Statistics Show NYPD Enforcing Vision Zero Pedestrian Safety Initiative
The law enforcement results are in from the first year of Vision Zero policy in New York City.
Big Cities Make Pedestrian Safety a Priority
New data released Dec. 19 by NHTSA shows increased safety for those traveling by car, but pedestrian fatalities are 15% higher than in 2009. Plans by San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago to increase ped safety are described by the WSJ.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Atlanta City Council unanimously backs $3.5 billion Beltline light rail project
The resolution was drafted after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens pulled support for the Atlanta Streetcar extension last year.
SEPTA to bring nearby frequent transit to over 1 million new riders as part of decade-long plan
The agency's Accelerate plan will also bring frequent transit to twice the amount of jobs that are currently located near it.
NYC plants over 18,000 trees, the most new foliage in a decade
Many of the trees were planted in communities vulnerable to extreme heat.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello