City Planning

Why Republicans Try to Kill Public Transport (Despite its Economic Benefits)

Republicans, many of them, would have public transportation funding cut despite the clear economic, financial (for citizens), quality of life, and environmental benefits. Why? Yonah Freemark of the Transport Politic finds some answers and shares them in Understanding the Republican Party’s Reluctance to Invest in Transit Infrastructure. Here’s a key piece of that article: As …

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Traffic Congestion Increasing as Economy Improves

In the most comprehensive analysis of U.S. traffic congestion imaginable, the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University just released its 2010 Annual Urban Mobility Report. Due to considerable technological advancements, the Institute said this report provided “much better and more detailed picture of the problems facing urban travelers” than any previous reports and it has …

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New Study Looks at Hidden Environmental Costs of Parking

The price of free parking keeps going up. One cost is painful urban congestion, which is made worse bydrastically under-priced street parking. Another is a relative cost to the environment, which occurs when the near-certain prospect of free (or cheap) parking entices people into their cars and away from alternative forms of transportation. Recently a …

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EcoLocalizer Link Drop

New Transit Projects for 2011 A comprehensive list of transit projects scheduled to start construction or open in 2011. “Streetcar lines dominate the nation’s new transit construction landscape, but this year only light and commuter rail lines will open for service.” NYC Tries ‘Rapid’ Buses in Bid to Cut Transit Costs The city’s much-maligned bus …

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How Much is Bicycling Worth to the Economy? $1.5 Billion/Year in Wisconsin

We’re bicycling fans here on Ecolocalizer. Have you noticed? Why? Because it’s good for everything: our health, the livability of cities, the efficiency of our cities, equitable access to key needs, and the economy. Here’s more on that last part, the economy, from the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin: Investment in a more bicycle friendly Wisconsin …

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Light Rail & Streetcars Becoming More Popular, Transforming Cities

In my graduate studies in city and regional planning, one thing became very obvious to me: cities, by definition and at their best, are densely-populated places. However, with the rapid rise of automobile use, North American cities have been on a low-density trend. Think about it, big vehicles for every individual require tons of big …

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Ecolocalizer Link Drop

Here’s our weekly link drop. Hope you enjoy it. New Report: U.S. States Failing at Reducing Transportation Emissions The Natural Resources Defense Council and Smart Growth America released a report, “Getting Back on Track: Aligning State Transportation Policy with Climate Change Goals,” analyzing state-level policies to curb carbon emissions in the transportation sector.  With the absence of …

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Ecolocalizer Link Drop: America’s Best & Worst Commutes, Kansas Getting New Coal Plant, How to Win the Race for Jobs

Weekly news roundup from other sites. TheStreet and Bundle Special Report: America’s Best and Worst Commutes Whether you live in a city, the suburbs or farm country, commuting by car to and from work can be an unavoidable expense. Beyond the obvious cost of gas, there are other ways a commute lightens your wallet — …

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Over 30% of San Francisco Households Now Car-Free

New data out in the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency 2010 Transportation Fact Sheet shows that the number of car-free households in San Francisco has climbed a little bit recently, bringing the percentage of car-free households in this progressive city above 30%. Yes, an increase from 29.8% to 30.3% isn’t huge, but you know how we …

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Bike Theft and Vandalism Not an Issue For U.S. Bike-Sharing Programs

Unlike the Vélib bike-sharing program in Paris, the largest in the world, which has had a bit of a problem with bike theft and vandalism, it seems that this is an issue of little or no concern for U.S. bike-sharing programs (and others around the world). Noah Kazis of Streetsblog New York City writes: For …

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Bicycle-Friendly University Award System

The League of American Bicyclists has had a Bicycle Friendly Community program going for years, as well as newer Bicycle Friendly Business and Bicycle Friendly State programs. Now, the League is adding one more, a Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) program. The program was actually officially launched in September at the annual Pro-walk/Pro-bike conference in Chattanooga, …

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Green Makeover of Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

The proposals are in after Monday’s final public meeting to decide the future of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway trench which severs the Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and Columbia Street Waterfront neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Residents spoke up and prioritized their wishes for a less disruptive BQE including reduced noise and pollution, increased neighborhood connectivity and bike / pedestrian …

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New York City Bike-Sharing Program Plans Move Forward

I wrote on New York City’s large, potential bike-sharing program a few months ago, the only proposed bike-sharing program in North America that will compare to the famous and highly successful Paris Vélib’ system (or even Barcelona’s Bicing program). NYC’s bike-sharing program has just moved forward now, with New York City’s Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Commissioner Janette …

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Curitiba: Sustainable Transportation & Sustainable City Leader [VIDEO]

Curitiba, Brazil has improved itself as much as practically any city on the planet in recent years. A new short video on the city was released by EMBARQ last week and a screening of the video was held at the World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C. The City Fix, in a post covering this screening, the …

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Community Composting and Recycling by Bike [VIDEO]

This is a great-looking bicycle composting and recycling service, and what is greener than biking, composting, and recycling? As Rory Woods of sustainablog writes, “Motivated by their love of bike culture and the environment, this enterprising group has built a cooperative business around transporting other businesses’ compost and recycling.” For a little more info from …

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China’s Fastest Train (Fastest Train in World) Now in Operation

I just wrote on the high-speed rail (HSR) network being planned in California earlier today, which will have trains that can travel up to 220 mph (354 kph), bringing people from LA to San Francisco in less than 2.5 hours. While California is planning its network, however, China has already started implementing one, the largest …

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Bicycle City

The first Bicycle City is finally getting built! More on that and how Bicycle City got started via co-founder Joe Mellet below. I have seen advertisements for Bicycle City for years now. I remember when it first got started — it looked like a great initiative but was rather mysterious. “Where was “bicycle city” or …

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