Just Words, Mr. President?
Barack Obama is justly renowned for his speaking style; he chooses his
words with professorial precision. But on today's featured Streetsblog Network post, the NRDC's Deron Lovaas, writing at The Infrastructurist,
points out that the president used the "H" word -- that would be
"highways" -- inaccurately during a recent visit to the USDOT:
March 4, 2009
Public Spaces, Now More Than Ever
Is the whole plummeting economy thing forcing you take stock of what
you truly value in life? Yep, us too. And we'll take a wild guess that
accessible, beautiful public spaces are on the short list for you as
well.
March 3, 2009
Declining Traffic: How Will It Affect U.S. Transportation?
Several Streetsblog Network members, including the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia and Decatur Metro, have blogged about the latest numbers from traffic information firm INRIX,
which show declining congestion in 2008 vs. 2007 in nearly every metro
area surveyed (Baton Rouge, LA, bucks the trend; go figure). INRIX
reports "peak hour congestion on the major roads in urban America
decreased nearly 30% in 2008 versus 2007."
March 2, 2009
Transportation for America Launches Campaign Platform
Yesterday was a big day for livable streets and progressive transportation advocates -- and not just because of what happened in New York City.
February 27, 2009
A High-Speed Rail Roundup
Today, The Transport Politic
continues its excellent coverage of high-speed rail proposals around
the country with a comprehensive roundup of the projects that will be
vying for federal funds in the months to come. As Yonah Freemark
writes,
February 26, 2009
The Case Against Home Ownership
This morning on the Streetsblog Network, we're featuring a thoughtful post from Greater Greater Washington in which David C dares to challenge the very foundation of the "American Dream" -- home ownership.
February 25, 2009
What Does Beauty Have to Do With Sustainability?
Today on the Streetsblog Network, we step back and take a look at a philosophical question, courtesy of Kaid Benfield at NRDC Switchboard.
As we go forward into the 21st century, trying to create sustainable
communities, how do we deal with the aging relics of the 20th century's
development patterns?
February 24, 2009
The Mileage Tax Genie Is Out of the Bottle
Last week, Obama DOT Secretary Ray LaHood caused quite a buzz by discussing, in an interview with an AP reporter,
the idea of taxing motorists on the number of miles they travel rather
than the amount of gas they burn. White House Press Secretary Robert
Gibbs quickly came out and publicly contradicted LaHood, saying a miles-driven tax "is not and will not be the policy of the Obama administration."
February 23, 2009
The Definition of Speeding Shouldn’t Be Relative
Streetsblog Network member blog Greater Greater Washington
has been ramping up coverage of crashes that result in pedestrian and
cyclist injuries and fatalities (they've got a new safety beat
reporter, Stephen Miller), and in a recent post they highlighted the
car-centric thinking of local law enforcement:
February 20, 2009
Listening to the President on Transportation
Over the last few weeks, President Obama has made a few different
statements that have gotten the attention of urbanists and sustainable
transportation advocates. Could it be? Does this guy really get it? And
if so, what is he going to do about it?
February 19, 2009