United States
Friday Funny: A History of Political Cartoons on the Subject of Gentrification
Cartoonists have been satirizing the issue of gentrification for almost a century. Witness the evolution of gentrification political cartoons in an article by The Guardian.
On the Surprising Efficiency of Big City Commutes
Logically we might assume that as cities grow larger, commutes get harder. It can certainly feel that way. But research points to structural factors that actually make commuting in big cities more efficient.
Demographic Changes Spell Trouble Ahead for Auto Industry
It's not only young adults who are delaying in getting drivers licenses, but a drop in licenses among all age groups according to a new analysis of license data from 1983-2014 by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Reading List: Walking in the City
Sometimes, city walks can mean more than just getting from place to place. Author and book critic David Ulin discusses his favorite accounts of that rich experience.
When Bike Lanes Get Snowed In
After heavy snow, protected bike lanes can be caught in an unfortunate position between roads and sidewalks. More public awareness may help keep them clear for winter cyclists.
A New Metric for Community Resilience
Though the need for resilient communities is obvious, exactly how to measure resilience is less obvious. Edward J. Jepson, Jr. provides a new metric of the evidence of a community's resilience and produces a corresponding ranking of 30 U.S. cities.
Study: Transit Agencies Should Respond to the Haters
Here's a counter-intuitive proposition for transit agencies: feed the Twitter trolls.
New Evidence of the Superiority of Bike Lanes Over Sharrows
A study presented last week to the Transportation Research Board shows that the quality of the bike infrastructure has a significant effect for commuting rates and safety.
Report Identifies 12 'Highway Boondoggles'
A new report by U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group identifies the highway projects most likely to break the transportation funding bank.
Mortality Rate Increases Dramatically Among 25-34 Year-Old White Men and Women
Similar to a recent Nobel Prize-winning study that showed increased deaths in middle-aged whites from heroin, opiates, and alcohol, a New York Times analysis shows that deaths for whites aged 25 to 34 from drug overdoses has reached historic levels.
A Critique of the Built Environment: How We Built Unhappiness
One writer's view of the modern city goes negative. If our environment affects our happiness, surely we're all suffering from depression.
Carrots and Sticks: Making Driving Alone the Worst Option
The build out of mass transit and bicycle infrastructure hasn’t been the cure-all for shifting commuters from single-person autos to alternate modes of transit, as many had hoped. Maybe it's time we start looking at how to disincentivize driving.
Interior Department Halts New Coal Leases on Federal Lands
Following-up on the president's assertion in his State of the Union address to better manage coal and oil resources on federal lands to account for environmental and financial costs, the administration declared a 'pause' on issuing new coal leases.
New Research Explains Why Only Some Neighborhoods Get Bike Infrastructure
Canadian researchers made the case at the Transportation Research Board this past week that improved bike infrastructure and neighborhood gentrification go hand in hand. They used research gathered fromi Portland and Chicago.
Are Tiny Houses All They Are Cracked Up To Be?
Maybe not so much, according to an article in the Globe and Mail.
Creating a Community of Choice
The Mountain View neighborhood in Anchorage is described as the most diverse neighborhood in the U.S., becoming a model of neighborhood change and a community of choice thanks to the efforts of local leaders and many dedicated community residents.
Trulia Ranks the Best and Worst Neighborhoods for Renters to Park
The availability of parking can make or break opinions of neighborhoods, and renters are especially likely to be impacted by parking difficulties.
Tracking Cash-Only Real Estate Transactions
The U.S.Treasury Department will begin identifying and tracking secret buyers of high-end luxury real estate in Manhattan and Miami Dade County because of concerns about the illicit flow of money.
FAST Act Missing from President Obama's Last State of the Union Address
President Obama's final State of the Union made no mention of the FAST Act—the first long term transportation reauthorization since SAFETEA-LU, which expired in 2009. It's omission baffled many high ranking leaders.
Friday Funny: Parody Twitter Account Roasts the Transportation Research Board
The week has been marked by a steady stream of news about new research and ideas coming from the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. There to poke fun at it all was parody Twitter account @FakeTRB.
Pagination
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.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority