Clarence Eckerson Jr.
Recent Posts
William H. Whyte in His Own Words: “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces”
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When I first got started making NYC bike advocacy and car-free streets videos back in the late-1990s on cable TV, I didn’t know who William “Holly” Whyte was or just how much influence his work and research had on New York City. A few years later I met Fred and Ethan Kent at Project for Public Spaces. I got a copy of […]
How a Massive Bike Tour Inspired Montreal to Become a Bike-Friendly City
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Especially in the warmer months, Montreal is simply alive with street life and, of course, lots of bicycling. Its car-free spaces are inviting to everyone, and there’s so much art and interactive installations in public space. In 2001 and again in 2003, I got to ride the Tour de l’Île in Montreal while on group […]
Parking Craters: Scourge of American Downtowns
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Streetsblog’s Angie Schmitt popularized the term “parking crater,” defined simply as “a depression in the middle of an urban area formed by the absence of buildings.” Various types of “meteors” left behind parking craters in the 20th century — sprawl subsidies, highway building, the erosion of manufacturing. Whatever the cause, parking craters destroy sections of […]
“The Better Block” Celebrates Four Years of Re-imagining Streets
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Streetfilms has wanted to profile Jason Roberts and the amazing work of The Better Block for a long time. So it felt like destiny when, a few weeks ago, we were able to sync up and chronicle the fourth anniversary of The Better Block in Oak Cliff, Texas. This temporary pedestrian plaza is right next to […]
Lakewood, Ohio: The Suburb Where Everyone Can Walk to School
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The inner Cleveland suburb of Lakewood (population 51,000) calls itself a “walking school district.” Lakewood has never had school buses in its history, and kids grow up walking and biking to school. Mornings and afternoons are a beehive of activity on streets near schools, as kids and parents walk to and from classrooms. You can feel […]
National Bike Summit 2014: United Spokes
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Usually I limit conference wrap-up videos to right around four minutes in length. But there were so many great (and funny!) moments at this year’s National Bike Summit, it was important to pack in all of the coverage we could grab. So sit back and enjoy many of the faces and fun that made this […]
The Rise of Open Streets
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The Rise of Open Streets from Streetfilms on Vimeo. Streetfilms has been documenting the open streets movement for over seven years, beginning with our landmark film in 2007 on Bogota’s Ciclovia, currently the most viewed Streetfilm of all time. The next year, Mike Lydon of The Street Plans Collaborative decided to get an open streets […]
Riding the Bike-Share Boom
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Without a doubt, 2013 has been a banner year for bike-share in the United States. Major systems were implemented in New York City and Chicago, and many others debuted or expanded in other cities. In fact, Citi Bike users have biked over 10 million miles and the system is closing in on 100,000 annual members! The Institute for Transportation & Development […]
Portland’s Multi-Modal Nexus, Featuring the Largest Bike Valet in America
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Portland’s South Waterfront is developing into one of the best new walkable urban neighborhoods in America. From one spot, you can grab the Portland Streetcar, ride the Portland Aerial Tram to Oregon Health and Science University, walk across a brand new pedestrian bridge, bike on a protected bikeway, or park your bike at the largest […]
Bicycle Anecdotes From Amsterdam
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Bicycle Anecdotes from Amsterdam from Streetfilms on Vimeo. Here we present our final — and most informative — Streetfilm from Amsterdam. It provides a nice cross-section of commentary on life in the City of Bikes. Make sure you check out our other Streetfilms from Amsterdam: No Amsterdam is Not “Swamped” By Bikes, Amsterdam Draws Bike […]
A Look at Pittsburgh’s Bike Parking and Presumptive New Mayor
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The future looks bright for Pittsburgh for 2014. As they prepare to host the Pro Walk Pro Bike Pro Place conference next September, last week Project for Public Spaces held a one-day summit in advance of next year’s big event. One thing Pittsburgh is doing is creating some innovative and fun bike parking facilities. As […]
A Montreal Intersection Morphs Into a Wonderful Neighborhood Space
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On a Bixi bike excursion to get some ice cream in Montreal, my wife and I stumbled upon the intersection of Fairmount Avenue and Rue Clark, recently upgraded with colorful new street furniture, traffic calming treatments, and a two-way protected bike lane. The space is teeming with street life. When you arrive at this lovely […]