TransitMix: A New App for Your Fantasy Map
I'm a little intimidated by sharing my first fantasy transit map with an audience that I know to include some ardent and accomplished fantasy transit mappers. But here goes: my first attempt.
August 22, 2014
Is Your City a Great Place to Raise Kids? Could It Be?
Jennifer Langston of the Sightline Institute in Seattle has so far published eight articles in a series called Family-Friendly Cities. She shows that while Seattle has a lower share of the population under age 15 than the rest of the state of Washington, that gap is closing. The number of kids in Seattle is growing far faster than in the rest of the state.
August 20, 2014
Are Children Parasites on Cities’ Finances?
No sooner did Streetsblog LA roll out its new series (and hashtag) #streetsr4families than the Washington Post asked whether it really benefits cities to attract families at all. After all, wrote Lydia DePillis yesterday, while single twenty-somethings freely spend their money on $12 cocktails and $50 concert tickets, parents avail themselves of taxpayer-funded services like public schools and parks. Parasites on the system.
August 20, 2014
Talking Headways Podcast: Crown Prince of Fresh Air
What would you think of a city planner, out ruffling feathers with his bold ideas about density and urbanism -- who commutes to work an hour each way from his ranch way outside the city? Ironic -- or hypocritical? That's the question we wrestle with in our discussion of Brad Buchanan, the head honcho at Denver's Department of Community Planning and Development.
August 19, 2014
Will the Supreme Court Help Amtrak Run Its Trains on Time?
The Supreme Court has the chance to redeem its spotty record of late by making the trains run on time. Yes, it’s in their power.
August 14, 2014
Talking Headways Podcast: Zoned Out
Welcome to the dog days of summer! Before skipping town, Congress passed a transportation funding patch so they wouldn't have to deal with the real problem of the unsustainable way our nation builds and pays for infrastructure. I give the briefest possible rundown of where we are now before Jeff and I launch into discussions about the issues of the day: zoning and ride-share.
August 13, 2014
Turning a Suburban Retail Bus Stop Into a Place People Want to Go
This post is part of a series featuring stories and research that will be presented at the Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike/Pro-Place conference September 8-11 in Pittsburgh.
August 11, 2014
Uber and Lyft Take a Step Toward Real Ride-Sharing
Uber and Lyft have set out to upend the taxi industry in American cities. But are they the traffic-busting "ride-sharing" services they're often portrayed to be? Not really: Using an app to hail a driver and take you where you’re going isn't fundamentally different than any traditional for-hire vehicle service.
August 8, 2014
At Transpo Town Hall, Sec. Foxx Pushes for Local Control, Full Funding
“Our transportation problems are easy to see but often difficult to explain.”
August 7, 2014
Missouri Says No to Amendment 7’s Monster Tax Hike for Roads
Last night, Missourians decided overwhelmingly to reject a ballot initiative that would have raised the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent to pay, almost exclusively, for roads. It would have been the largest tax increase in the state’s history.
August 6, 2014