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
Why It Makes Sense to Add Biking and Walking Routes Along Active Rail Lines
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 18, 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 6, 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
Study: People in Low-Income Areas More Likely to Be Killed While Walking
Who is most at risk of being hit by a car?
August 5, 2014
Talking Headways Podcast: Poor Door Von Spreckelsen
In this week's podcast, Jeff and I take on the infamous New York City "poor door," designed to keep tenants of affordable units segregated from the wealthy residents that occupy the rest of the high-rise at 40 Riverside. In the process, we take on the assumptions and methods that cities use to provide housing, and by the time we're done, we've blown a hole in the whole capitalist system.
August 4, 2014
Congress Hits the Snooze Button on Transpo Funding Until May
Someone had to cave and last night, it was the Senate.
August 1, 2014