Planetizen Newswire
Keep up with essential planning news and commentary, delivered to your inbox every Monday and Thursday.
Safety
Blog post
Many people assume that infectious disease risks make cities dangerous, but this is generally untrue. Other factors have more effect on pandemic risk and mortality rates, making cities safer and healthier than rural areas overall.
Findings from a new study about the mobility needs and concerns of women in Los Angeles will inform future initiatives and planning.
Streetsblog LA
The Safe & the City app uses data to help women find the safest routes in cities.
TechCrunch
Ride-hailing company Beat hopes its dedicated safety team and linked accounts service will make its service attractive to women in Mexico’s capital.
Forbes
The deadliest transportation accident in recent years has some asking whether more can be done to regulate modified vehicles, including limos.
NPR
Motorists tend to look out for hazards they expect. If tiny vehicles proliferate, including electric scooters, greater safety will follow.
Streetsblog USA
The Federal Transit Administration cannot award funds to states that don’t have federally approved safety-monitoring programs in place. On Monday, the agency warned a number of states that they needed prove they've undertaken these programs.
Sacramento Bee
Traffic officials around the world are testing 3-D crosswalks in hopes of slowing traffic, and having some success
The Boston Globe
Taking the bus might not feel as comfortable as going by car, but according to this research from Montreal, it's safer.
CityLab
From the mid-19th century to the early 1980s, playgrounds were designed public spaces that would likely horrify parents today. Swiss urban planner Gabriela Burkhalter has studied how these public spaces have evolved over the years.
CityLab
Men are often overrepresented in consultations about how city facilities are built. To account for this, planners need to seek out women's comments and look for ways to better serve them, argues Alexander Starritt.
Fast Co.Exist
There's a difference between designing for safety and designing for fear.
Motherboard
After first launching its program in the Spring, law enforcement and Metro are reminding riders to report instances of sexual harassment on trains and buses
The Source (Metro's blog)
A post by the World Band surveys efforts around the world to mainstream gender on public transport—an effort challenged substantially by continued risks to the safety of women.
The World Bank
Throughout North America's auto-oriented suburbs, front-facing garages are a common feature of home design. According to Brent Toderian, that design decision has a significant impact on speeding and the quality of neighborhoods.
Huffington Post British Columbia
When millions of Americans venture forth from their food comas tomorrow to their nearest mall, the shopping environment may have changed from last year. By design, most shoppers are unlikely to notice the increased security measures.
The New York Times
Blog post
Contrary to popular assumptions, large, transit-oriented cities have lower crime rates than smaller, automobile-oriented cities. Jane Jacobs was right! This column discusses this phenomenon and its implications for transport and land use planning.
The increase in vehicular speeds, removal of street hawkers, and addition of gated neighborhoods are all seen as contributing to a rise in crimes against women in New Delhi and other Indian cities. How can planning and design reverse this trend?
The New York Times
Strapped for cash, cities across the US have decided to save money by turning off street lights. An investigative series documents the effect of all those darkened lights on crime and economic development in San Diego - home to a $30 million backlog.
Fast Company Co.Exist
Utilizing an online tool that compares images from Google Street View, researchers have built a better understanding of the 'small, often imperceptible reasons' that make some streets and places feel safer than others.
The Atlantic Cities
