Blogosphere: Shop Daily, Live Longer
April 15, 2011|Tree Hugger
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We have made the case that small fridges make good cities; now a new study indicates that small fridges make healthier people. A study in Taiwan found that old people who get out and shop every day are 27% less likely to die over a ten year period than those who shop once a week... Read On
Blogosphere: Times Square Pollution Down
April 14, 2011|Streetsblog DC
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A new study commissioned by the city finds that air quality in Times Square has notably improved since the 2009 installation of pedestrian plazas on Broadway. Street-level readings taken by the New York City Community Air Survey, a city-wide air quality monitoring program created as part of PlaNYC, show that "concentrations of traffic-related pollutants were substantially lower than measurements from the year before and were less than in other midtown locations... Read On
Blogosphere: Rules Make It Hard to Ignore Peds, Bikes
April 13, 2011|Streetsblog . Net
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For years, state DOTs have exploited a loophole of federal government policy that allowed them to build massive, publicly funded projects without accommodating non-motorized users as long as they could show that "due consideration" had been given to bicyclists and pedestrians... Read On
Blogosphere: Deep Walkability Needed
April 12, 2011|All About Cities
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How many urban residents can safely walk to work, and to school, and to entertainment? It's one thing for a neighbourhood to be walkable. But being able to walk between neighbourhoods is "Deep Walkability" and not that many cities offer it... Read On
Research: A Day's Journey in Mediaeval France
April 12, 2011|JSTOR (via @enf)
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How fast did travelers travel before mechanized transport? 20-30 miles per day. Read On
National: Food Fight Anyone?
April 12, 2011|National Journal
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Lobbyists for various modes of transportation -- roads, rail, aviation, even bike enthusiasts -- have done a good job of hanging together this year in advocating for infrastructure investment. Everyone from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the AFL-CIO is saying the same thing to policymakers: You can't afford not to invest in infrastructure, which, by the way, also will create jobs and grow the economy... Read On
Blogosphere: We Didn't Start These Wars
April 11, 2011|Cap'n Transit Rides Again
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So Wendell Cox has come out with several books and articles arguing that transit, pedestrian and cycling advocates are waging a "War on Cars." As Sarah Goodyear sums up, people like her, Eric de Place, Todd Litman and Ezra Klein are bewildered by this accusation. War on cars? We just want choices. Can't we just be pro-transportation?... Read On
Blogosphere: Comsumers Want Smart Growth Amenities
April 6, 2011|Smart Grown America
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According to a report released today by the National Association of Realtors, Americans favor walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods over neighborhoods that require more driving between home, work and recreation. ... Read On
An Assessment of Urban Form and Pedestrian and Transit Improvements as an Integrated GHG Reduction Strategy
April 1, 2011|Washington Department of Transportation
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This study is one of the first to test the effect of sidewalks on travel patterns and the first we know of to relate sidewalk availability with VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) and GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions. Recently, several large jurisdictions in King County have developed local sidewalk data layers, creating a new opportunity to look at pedestrian infrastructure alongside other investment and policy strategies associated with reduced VMT and CO2 (carbon dioxide). The study used travel outcome data from the 2006 PSRC (Puget Sound Regional Council) Household Activity Survey. The household-level analysis was restricted to households in King County cities where sidewalk data was already available, and modeled the association of urban form, pedestrian infrastructure, transit service and travel costs on VMT and CO2, while controlling for household characteristics known to influence travel.
The results provide early evidence in the potential effectiveness of …
The results provide early evidence in the potential effectiveness of …
Blogosphere: Bellevue Ky First to Form Based Code
March 28, 2011|Urban Cincy
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The city of Bellevue, Kentucky has became the first in the Greater Cincinnati region to fully adopt a form-based zoning code. Unlike traditional zoning regulations, which focus mostly on land use type, the form-based code focuses on the overall built environment. Bellevue's code ensures that new development will fit into the city's existing pedestrian-friendly urban fabric... Read On
